Friends And Neighbors
by TStabler
Summary: Elliot's divorce is finalized, he's been staying with Olivia, and now he's moved into a place all his own. It's prompted him to make another life-changing decision, too. How will Olivia react? And who will be standing in his way? E/O, with others!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: When one door closes, you have to find another one before you can open it, right? Elliot clearly had ulterior motives when he picked this particular door.**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, the characters are not mine. Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, me, owns the story: plot, narrative, idea, dialogue and the computer I wrote it on.**

It began, as any normal Saturday morning, with Elliot walking into the bullpen an hour late, handing Olivia a cup of hot coffee from the cart outside. Different, though, was the way he winked at her when he let go of the cup. He took off his jacket and hung it up behind her, and she swiveled around in her chair.

"Did you just wink at me?" Olivia asked, befuddled.

"I did," Elliot said, smirking. "I'm in a good mood today, Liv. I finally finished moving my shit into the apartment, and I can officially move in tonight."

Olivia chuckled. "Good, you can get your ass off of my couch."

"Just my ass, though, right? Everything else can stay on your couch?" Elliot joked, sitting in his chair. "Seriously, Liv, I owe you. It was kinda fun, though, living with you for two weeks. You're easy to live with," he said, smiling at her.

"Only because I like you," Olivia spat. "I'm used to your shit and I've learned to ignore most of it, so you're pretty easy to live with, too." She gave him a wink and smile.

"Did you just wink at me?" Elliot asked, feigning surprise.

"Shut up, Stabler," Olivia laughed. "Where is this magnificent apartment of yours?"

Elliot chuckled to himself. "You'll see it. Tonight, I'll drive you home, go in to get my stuff, and I'll take you to see it."

"It's a date," Olivia said, then, realizing what she said, she cleared her throat. "Not a date, a, uh, thing."

"Right," Elliot said, smirking. "I know your rules. It's only a date if it involves dinner and kissing." He picked up a file and opened it, then added, "So we'll order Chinese."

Olivia tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did you just officially make this a date, or were you kidding?"

"Would you say 'yes' if I asked you on a date, Liv?" Elliot asked, suddenly looking very serious. "I mean, at that exact moment, I was joking, but for future reference..."

"We should not talk about this at work, El," Olivia interrupted, jerking her head toward Cragen, who was walking over to them. She was grateful to that man in the worst way. He had just saved her, really.

"You two," Cragen said, handing them a pink slip. "Vic. Saint Vincent's. Go." He turned and walked away.

Olivia took the paper and looked at Elliot. "He's talkative today," she said, smirking.

"He has a headache," Cragen shouted, walking back into his office.

"So do I," Olivia said. "Don't see me being a bitch about it, though, do you?"

Munch looked up at her from his desk. "If I answer you honestly, are you gonna hurt me?"

"Yes," Olivia said, then grabbed her jacket and headed out of the bullpen, knowing Elliot was right behind her.

* * *

The day was long, the night was longer, and by the time they were finished interrogating the perp and done with the paperwork, Olivia was dead on her feet. She flicked off her desk light and looked up at Elliot. "Dude, you sure you want to go to my place, grab your stuff, then go to your place only to have to take me back to mine? It's already close to one in the morning," she said, stifling the yawn in her mouth.

"Yes, Liv," Elliot said, turning off his own lamp and getting out of his seat. "I don't live too far from you. We'll go in, grab my stuff, and we can actually walk to my place."

"You bought an apartment within walking distance of mine?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Liv," Elliot said, leading her into the elevator, "I bought an apartment I could afford. The fact that it's close to you was the deciding factor, but it's spacious, nice, and I can afford it."

Olivia nodded, yawned, and stepped off the lift as the doors opened. "Sounds great," she said. She got into Elliot's car, passenger side, as she had been doing every night since he'd been staying with her. "I'm gonna miss this."

"What?" Elliot asked, pulling out of his parking space.

"This," Olivia said, waving a hand around the front seat. "Riding home with you. It's nice, ya know? talking to you on the way home, late night dinners together, knowing you're there, El. It made me fell...less alone."

"I can still drive you home, Liv. I'm close, remember?" Elliot said, smirking. "And as long as I'm around, you'll never be alone. I promise. You know that, don't you?"

Olivia chuckled. "I guess. Ya know, if you would have gotten your ass out of bed, off the couch, at a reasonable hour, we could have been driving to work together, too. You spend more time on your hair, what's left of it, than I do."

"Hey," Elliot snapped, pulling into a parking space outside of Olivia's building, "I have a full head of hair, thank you! Forgive me if I wanna look good. I'm single now, Liv."

"And who, exactly, are you trying to impress?" Olivia asked, sounding a bit jealous.

"Not impress, Liv," Elliot said, grinning as he got out of the car, "Just _look good for_."

Olivia furrowed her brow, getting out as well, and curled her lips into a smirk. "Okay, who are you trying to look good for?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "Let's just go get my shit, huh?" he asked, running through the doors.

"Why won't you tell me?" Olivia asked, running to catch up to him. "Is she pretty?"

"She's gorgeous, Liv. Most beautiful woman I've ever met," Elliot said, pushing the call button for the elevator.

"Wow," Olivia huffed. "Well, is she smart?" Olivia asked, folding her arms.

Elliot bit his bottom lip. "Brilliant," he mumbled. "She's a fucking genius, but she's really, uh, missing something quite obvious right now, so she's got a dim side."

"Who doesn't?" Olivia scoffed. "How did you meet her? Where the fuck was I when you met her, El?"

"Liv, really, could we drop this?" Elliot asked, getting off on Olivia's floor. "I just wanna grab my bags and take you home with me." His eyes widened and he tried to cover up what he'd just said. "I mean, I wanna show you my apartment."

"Fine," Olivia said. "But, so you know, I already hate whoever this woman is, and when I meet her, and you know I have to meet her, I'm not gonna be very nice."

Elliot smirked as he watched Olivia open the door to her apartment. "Why, Benson?" he asked. "Jealous?"

"No, Stabler," Olivia lied. "Just watching out for you. I'm a good partner. I'm supposed to approve of the girl before you ask her out."

"I haven't asked her out, yet," Elliot said. "I tried to, but I kinda got interrupted. Besides, I'm not too sure she'd say yes. We'd both be risking a lot if we went out on a real date. But, the way I see it, we'd be risking a lot more if we didn't."

Olivia turned to look at him, watching him pick up his already-packed-bags. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Yes," Elliot said, stepping closer to Olivia. "I really do, Liv."

"Oh, well...that's...good for her....you," Olivia stuttered softly, her heart breaking.

Elliot gave her a small smile. "Can you take this for me?" he asked, handing her one of his bags. Olivia took it, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Thanks. I needed my hand," he said, still looking into her eyes. He lifted his free hand, ran it through Olivia's hair, and caressed her cheek. "I was talking about you," he whispered. Olivia's eyes widened and Elliot chuckled. "Come on, Liv. It's late, and I really want you to see the place. We have to walk there, then we have to walk all the way back here."

"Uh," Olivia mumbled, blinking, still trying to grasp that Elliot had just told her he had a thing for her, "Okay." She brushed her hand over his, which was still resting on her cheek. "You spend all that time on your hair, and getting dressed in the morning, for me?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yes," Elliot said, nodding. "Now come on," he laughed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her apartment. He let go of her hand, watched her lock the door, and took her hand again.

"El," Olivia said, taking a deep breath, "You don't have to do that, ya know. I'm already in...you don't have to try to impress me." She almost slipped and told him she loved him. Good thing she caught it.

"I know," Elliot said, smiling, tugging her along. "Button up your jacket. It's a long walk, Liv."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "I thought you said it was clo..."

"Oh, look at that! We're here!" Elliot cried, interrupting.

Olivia looked at the door, then turned and looked up at Elliot with a raised eyebrow. "You moved right next door to me?" she asked, stunned, her jaw dropped and her eyes gazing into his.

"I told you I got used to living with you," Elliot said, opening the door. He switched on the light and stepped inside. "This is the next best thing. I figured we could either knock down this wall and make it one really big, fucking apartment, or put in a door or an archway so we could just come and go whenever we want." He turned and pointed down the hall. "I was thrilled when I found out it was a three bedroom place, because when the kids come I'll have plenty of room for them. Oh, and if we do decide to join the spaces somehow, then when Maureen comes home from school, I'll just stay in your room with you."

"Slow down," Olivia said, trying to catch her breath. "When did this happen? How did I not know you were moving next door, and why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Elliot chuckled, stepping closer. "I signed the lease Monday, you didn't know because I had movers do it so I wouldn't have to, and if I had told you, it would have ruined the surprise." He grabbed her hand again and pulled her into the kitchen. "Would have ruined this one, too," he said, gesturing to the table. It was set with candles and a bag of Chinese food in the middle. "I had Fin do me a favor," he laughed, seeing the confused expression on her face. He walked over and lit the candles and pulled out a chair. "So, uh, this _is_ dinner. Is it a date now?"

Olivia, shaking her head and smirking, sat in the chair. "I can't really say 'no' and run away, El. You know where I live, and where I work."

"You can say 'no'," Elliot said shrugging. "This doesn't have to be a date, Liv. It could just be our usual late dinner. But, uh, I really want this to be date."

"Really? Why?" Olivia asked, unable to stop smiling.

Elliot sat next to her and grabbed her hand, looking into her eyes, and said, "Because if it's a date, then I won't feel awkward or nervous about giving you a goodnight kiss, the way I've wanted to, every night, for the past six years."

Olivia's breath hitched as his words hit her ears. She'd been waiting for so long to hear him say what he was saying. "Yeah, El," she whispered, smiling. "It's a date."

They began to enjoy their dinner, while on the other side of town, an attractive redhead was packing up her last box. "That's it," she said to herself. "Tomorrow, I move next door to the one person I can't stop thinking about, and I make my move." The woman picked up her box, putting it down on the pile near the door. "Tomorrow, I get one step closer to Olivia Benson."

**A/N: Who's the redhead? How does living next to Elliot change their relationship, and are they really on a date? Only if they kiss. Do they? Wanna know? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The end of the date, if it even was one. And a new case, with that mysterious redhead, who gets a surprise of her own.**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, the characters are not mine. Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, me, owns the story: plot, narrative, idea, dialogue and the computer I wrote it on.**

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile, or laugh, as much as you have in the last three hours," Elliot told Olivia, as he laughed himself.

Olivia chuckled as her eyes widened. "Three hours? It's four in the morning? Shit!"

Elliot laughed, again, never letting go of Olivia's hand. He leaned a bit closer to her on the couch, and nodded. "And I'm not the least bit tired."

"Me, either," Olivia admitted, finally calming her laughter. Elliot had her in stitches all night, telling jokes, and bringing up personal humiliations from their six-year partnership and friendship. "I had a great time tonight, El."

"Ditto, Liv," Elliot told her, discreetly scooting closer and wrapping his arm around her.

Olivia noticed. He wasn't as discreet as he thought. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. They both stopped breathing. Six years of waiting, she thought, and she would finally know. She smirked at him as she saw him inching closer, but she backed up a bit. "El," she whispered. "This is gonna change everything."

"Yeah," Elliot said, softly, nodding. "I think, after six fucking years, it's about damn time something changed. I'm ready, Liv. Now that I'm able, I'm ready. Whatever consequences we have to face from IAB, or Cragen, we'll handle. I mean, if you're…we're partners, Liv. You gotta back my play, here."

Olivia knew what he was asking. She closed her eyes briefly, opened them again and looked into his. "When have I ever not backed your play? I just don't wanna lose you, El."

"Liv, don't you get it?" Elliot asked, whispering, closing the gap between them so his lips were brushing against hers as he spoke. "I'm yours. You're mine. Losing each other, baby, will just never be possible." His phone rang, and he felt Olivia jump, pulling back from him. "Oh, no," he said, holding her in his arms. "I'm kissing you. I'm kissing you now. Whoever it is can kiss my ass."

Olivia's eyes widened, then fluttered shut, as his lips touched hers, tentatively at first. She tensed up when he swept his tongue along her lips, but as the kiss deepened, she relaxed, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him back with everything she had. They were lost. Gone. So completely giving themselves to each other, holding, kissing, caressing, kissing, feeling, and yes, kissing. They were kissing. His lips were on hers, so soft, so warm, so perfect. His tongue was in her mouth, dancing with hers, massaging it, making her physically feel that he was dead serious about making the jump from partner and friend to lover.

Elliot was going to get carried away, he was going to take it too far, he knew it. He snaked his hand up her body, brushing the side of her breast, his thumb grazing her nipple making them both gasp, and moan, and he wanted to show her he loved her so desperately. Thank God his phone rang again. "Wow," he gasped, pulling away from her, breathlessly, reluctantly. "Holy…I mean…just…wow," he stammered, gazing into her warm chocolate eyes.

Olivia, her hands gently caressing his face, nodded. "Wow," she breathed. The only word she knew at the moment. She bit her bottom lip as Elliot reached for his phone.

"Don't move," he said, pointing warningly at her.

"Don't worry. Couldn't if I wanted to," Olivia said, smirking, now that she remembered she knew how to speak English.

"Stabler," he spat. "Sorry, I was sleeping, like you do at four in the morning. No, I'll call her. I can go get her, too. Yeah. Close. Got it, Cap. Bye."

Olivia made a tiny whimpering noise and Elliot chuckled. "Not fair," she scoffed. "Now? We have to go deal with a fucking rapist now," she grumbled. "Figures," she said, bitingly.

Elliot laughed again. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it? But," he said, pausing to look her in the eyes again, his feelings for her not hidden deep within his own anymore, "When we're done dealing with it, we can come home, together, and comfort the shit out of each other." He kissed her, tenderly. "No more lonely nights for you," he whispered, pecking her on the lips. "No more miserable nights wishing I was with you instead of that cold-hearted, soul-sucking, bitch for me," he said, placing another gentle but emotion-filled kiss on her mouth. He rose off of his couch, held out his hand, which she gladly took, and pulled her to her feet. He gave her one last kiss before stepping back into the night. It killed them that they had to pretend their universe hadn't just shifted a full foot to the left.

* * *

"What have we got?" Olivia asked, stepping under the crime scene tape Elliot was so chivalrously holding up for her.

"Guy called in a body-dump when he opened his restaurant," a uniformed officer said, leading them toward the scene. "He was lying in front of his patio, and the Chef was yelling about nobody wanting to eat Al Fresco with a rotting corpse beneath their feet. We got here, called the medical examiner, she saw the state the body was in and called you guys."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Why us, exactly?"

"It's fitting they dropped the guy in front of an Italian joint," the stout cop said, smugly. "He's missing his sausage," he snorted.

Olivia simply dropped her eyes, sighed, and shook her head. "If I had a dollar for every time this happened…"

"Who the hell is that?" Elliot said, interrupting her musing about hypothetical millions.

Olivia looked up and followed his gaze. Her mouth dropped open and she made a choking sound. "Hide me," she said, trying to pull Elliot in front of her.

"What? Liv," Elliot said, confused, "What's going on?"

"Olivia," the woman cheerfully called, walking over, "Or do I have to call you 'Detective Benson'?"

Olivia smiled sheepishly at the woman as she peeked out from behind Elliot. "Hey, Casey," she said, sounding somewhat annoyed. She glanced up and saw the amused expression on Elliot's face. "Detective Benson, while we're working, if you don't mind. This is my partner, Detective Elliot Stabler. El, this is the new A.D.A, Casey Novak." She tensed her lips and widened her eyes a little as she said it, trying to make him understand something.

"It's nice to meet…oh," Elliot paused, a realization sinking in. "Oh!" he yelled, his eyes wide. He looked from Olivia to Casey, then back to Olivia. "Right, Casey Novak." He looked back to Casey and said, "Yeah, I've, uh, heard about you. I hope you can handle Special Victims. It's not for the weak of heart, ya know."

"Oh," Casey said, smirking, "Trust me. I'm absolutely following my heart by being here. What have we got?"

Olivia suppressed a snicker and the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, a sexual assault, murder, probably an act of rage or…"

"No, I mean, what exactly have we got?" Casey asked, raising her eyebrow.

Elliot, smirking, said, "Male vic. Someone chopped his dick off. Whether he was alive when it happened or not, we don't know yet. If he was alive, that means when we get over there, there's gonna be a lot of blood. He's gonna be purple, bruising does that, and the guy's face is gonna be…"

"Okay," Casey interrupted, suddenly turning pale, "Maybe I shouldn't be involved from beginning to end. You just, uh, find me when we have a suspect."

Olivia nodded and gave her a small smile. "That's why you're the lawyer, and we're the detectives. We'll handle this, Casey."

Casey looked at Olivia, smiling sincerely but weakly, and nodded. "I'm just, uh, I'm gonna go." She walked away, shaking her head.

"Wow," Elliot said, chuckling. "That's the lawyer who hit on you at that seminar?"

Olivia nodded and sighed. "Yeah," she said.

"So, remind me," Elliot said, raising an eyebrow at Olivia, pulling a latex glove on. "How, exactly, did she hit on you?"

Olivia laughed. "I told you this story, El," she said, tugging a glove of her own on and heading toward the body.

Elliot smirked at her. "I wanna hear it again," he said, kneeling over the bruised, bloody, puffy man, pulling on Olivia's pant leg to get her down to his level.

Olivia rolled her eyes and kneeled beside him. "When she found out I was an SVU detective in Manhattan, she hung onto every word of my speech like it was the fucking Gospel. Then, she found me during dinner, sat down, uninvited mind you, and started telling me how excited she was to transfer into the division, pick up where Alex left off, seek justice for those who truly deserved it. At first I thought it was cool to have an A.D.A. who was passionate about what we do, so I had a conversation with her. But then she tried to kiss me."

"Ah," Elliot said, chuckling. "That's the part I wanna hear."

Olivia smacked him in shoulder. "Tried to! El, I almost pulled my gun on the woman. I backed up a solid five feet and said the first thing I could think of."

"Which was…" Elliot said, drifting off and upwards, rolling his eyes. He knew what she said.

"I'm married," Olivia said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And now she works with you. Liv, you're not married. She's gonna find out, sooner or later. What do you think she's gonna do when…"

Olivia gasped, cutting him off. "Oh, fuck me," she spat, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes widened.

"Well, she'll try, but I'll fucking kill her," Elliot joked. "What are you gonna do, Liv?"

Olivia shook her head. "Keep her out of my personal life, I guess. Never talk about it, if she asks I'll tell her my ring is getting sized or engraved, make her think that…why are you looking at me like that?"

"If you ever need to introduce her to your husband," Elliot said, leaning over and whispering to her, "I think I know the perfect guy who'd be willing to play along."

"Yeah," Olivia said, rolling her eyes, "Because making the A.D.A. think that we're married wouldn't cause trouble for us at all," she said sarcastically.

Elliot chuckled. "Fine, deal with the lesbian who wants to shag you nine ways from Sunday knowing you're single."

"El, there is only one person who has any hope of shagging me in any way on any day of the week," Olivia whispered to him, seductively.

Elliot smirked at her and cleared his throat, then turned his attention to their vic. "Well, Liv, it's certainly not this guy, right?"

* * *

Casey, still queasy from her attempt at seeing a crime through from investigation to sentencing, headed to her new place to start unpacking. She was through half a bottle of wine and three boxes of her clothes when she heard footsteps. Her breath caught in her throat, and her face lit up as she heard the footsteps stop right outside her door. "Olivia," she whispered. She got up off of her floor and ran to her door, looking out of the peephole to watch the girl across the hall. The girl who'd stolen her heart. And, it seems, broken it.

She watched Olivia smile as Elliot turned the key and opened the door. Why was he going into her apartment? She gasped when she watched Elliot press his lips to Olivia's, the way she had longed to do. And she was near tears when she heard him speak.

"Ya know, Liv, Cragen only gave us an hour. We both need to shower, change, we need coffee. We could save a lot of time if," he paused to pull her into his arms, kiss her, and brush his hands over her head, down her back, and cup her ass. "We showered together."

Olivia bit her bottom lip and chuckled as she shook her head. "You're the most impatient man I've ever met."

"Baby, I'm not making love to you in the shower," he laughed, kissing her, still in the doorway, still as Casey watched from her peephole. "As least, not right now. We don't have enough time. That'll take a lot longer than a fucking hour." He kissed Olivia again, pushing her into her apartment, kicking the door behind them.

Casey turned away from her door slowly, reaching for her wine glass. If she ever needed a drink in her life, it was now. "She married her partner?" she asked herself. Then she gasped. She smirked. She chuckled. "They're having an affair," she said. "She's gonna get caught. She's gonna lose both of them. She's gonna break. And I'm gonna be right here to fix her."

**A/N: Will living across from Olivia and Elliot, and working with them, convince Casey they're married? Or that they're having an affair? What will Casey do about it? And, yes, someone else moves in to the building, but he is certainly not a friend. Not an enemy either. Confused? Review and I'll clear it all up!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Keeping it cool at work, a case of mistaken identity at home, and some apartment construction. =) And we meet a new neighbor!**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, the characters are not mine. Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, me, owns the story: plot, narrative, idea, dialogue and the computer I wrote it on.**

"Well, who would have had that much hatred for this guy to want to lop of the beans and franks?" Munch asked, sipping the mud in cup he liked to call coffee.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Could we please stop referring to the man's missing pieces as food items?"

Fin chuckled. "Why? At one point or another, it ends up in someone's mouth."

"Wow," Olivia gasped. "You're lucky. After four years of being the only woman in Special Victims, I expect this shit." She chuckled, sipping the coffee that she and Elliot had stopped at the cart, together, to get. "If I were still new and more of a prude, I'd punch you in the face."

Fin laughed. "You wouldn't. I'm too pretty."

"No, that award goes to Benson," Elliot said absently, sipping his own coffee.

Olivia turned to face him and they shared a small smile. "Back to the case," she said, clearing her head of unprofessional thoughts. "Have we ruled out jilted exes?"

Munch nodded and held up his phone records. "The man was never married, no kids, and no one we talked to said that he was seeing anyone exclusively."

"Maybe he wasn't," Elliot said. "Maybe someone caught him with his pants down, literally, in bed with their own lover. This was an act of jealous rage."

"Okay, I'll bite," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

Elliot smirked at her. "Because, Liv, I know if I caught anyone anywhere near my girlfriend, I'd chop his balls off." He smirked, an evil, smug, smirk. "And I'd definitely kill him." He grimaced and then added, "Or her."

His last comment made Olivia choke on her coffee. Fin ran up to her, patting her on the back, and Olivia brushed him off. "Fine," she coughed. "I'm fine." She shot Elliot a glare, noticed he was chuckling softly to himself, and shook her head. "Okay, so it could have been jealousy. Extreme, hot-headed, sexually charged, jealousy."

"Who's jealous?" Casey asked, coming into the bullpen. "Mister Benson?"

"Our perp," Munch said, eyeing the lawyer up and down. "Who the fuck is Mister Benson? And who the hell are you?"

Olivia snickered. Elliot rolled his eyes, and said, "Munch, Fin, this is Casey Novak. The new A.D.A."

"They sent us another chick?" Munch asked, stunned. "Shit, you'd think they'd learn after Alex got herself killed. Get Langan on our side, Benson. Maybe then we'd have a counselor who doesn't get emotionally involved with the…"

"Why the hell would I want to deal with Langan?" Olivia asked harshly, interrupting.

Munch shrugged. "Well, since he's your…"

"Ex," Olivia spat. "Whatever it was, it's over. it's been over for months. God, if I was nauseated before, now I'm really sick."

Casey's eyes widened. She smirked. She had her answer. "So, uh, do we have a suspect, then?"

"No," Elliot said. "In fact, we don't even know if…"

He was interrupted when Olivia's phone rang. "Benson," she said. "Oh, wow, thanks. I didn't need to hear that. I had breakfast, ya know!" There was a pause as Olivia made a face and spoke softer. "No, someone cooked for me. Later, Mel. We'll be right down."

"Woah," Fin said, watching Olivia hang up, "Someone actually made it through the night with you, Baby-Girl? And stayed for breakfast? That's a big step for you."

"Guess it's a lot easier to have a love-life now that Stabler's out of your hair," Munch quipped.

"Uh, yeah," Olivia said. "Guess it is. El, we have to go. Melinda's got something for us."

Casey was dumbstruck. Confused. When was she with this Langan fellow? Was she with Stabler? What did Munch mean by 'out of her hair,' when he was totally IN her hair this morning. Who was she married to, and did any of these people know about it? She had to find out. She seized the opportunity and followed Olivia and Elliot out and down the stairs.

Olivia tilted her head as she pushed through the door and asked, "You would really cut off someone's…"

"Yes," Elliot spat, not giving her the chance to finish her question. "If anyone touched you, I'd flip, Liv!"

Olivia chuckled. "Aren't you overreact…"

"No," Elliot interrupted again. "I've had the urge to crush every guy you've gone out with since the moment I met you." Olivia stopped and turned around to look at him, and her eyes widened.

"Casey," Olivia gasped, "What are you doing?"

"I figured I would come with you," Casey said, looking from her to Elliot. "If we have DNA or prints matching a suspect…if she's gonna give you a name…I should be there, right?"

Elliot sighed. "Wrong, Novak. Look," he said, peering into the redhead's eyes, "We don't need you to hold our hands. You're the rookie, here, not us. We know how to do our jobs, and we know that you don't come in until we have an ass in the interrogation seat! Get it?"

"Elliot!" Olivia scolded, shocked at the way he'd just yelled at Casey. "Calm down!"

Without turning to face Olivia, Elliot nodded at Casey apologetically. "Just go, Novak. We'll call you when we need you," he said, in a much more friendly tone.

"Okay," Casey said, afraid that she may have stepped on toes and pissed off someone she really didn't want to see angry. "See you both, uh, later," she said, with a curt nod as she turned and headed back up the stairs.

"You think she heard me?" Elliot asked, resuming his walking down the steps.

"Yeah," Olivia said, smirking. "But it's no secret that you've hated every guy I've dated, so if she tells anyone, it won't matter."

Elliot grinned. "She's gone now, though, right?" he asked, glancing at Olivia.

"Yeah, you just saw her leave, El..." she was stopped by his lips, placing a soft, chaste, delicate kiss on hers. "What was that for?"

Elliot smiled at her, giving her butterflies, as he said, "No camera's get this spot, right here, Liv. I've wanted to kiss you all day." He winked at her and pushed through the doorway leading to the morgue's corridor.

Olivia smiled and sighed as she followed him through it, hoping no one saw her turn into a smitten little girl. Someone did though.

* * *

"What the hell is all that noise?" Olivia asked, carrying a bag of takeout down the hall.

Elliot shrugged. "Maybe it's the construction crew I hired to put a doorway in my living room?" he asked smugly, holding another bag of food.

"You were serious?" Olivia asked, shocked. "Don't you need to tell the landlord…"

"I did," Elliot cut her off, "And he thanked me. He said that if we ever move, he could lease the two units for more money because now it could be listed as a two-family apartment."

Olivia chuckled as she fished in her pocket for her keys. She looked down as she moved closer to her door and gasped. "El!" she yelped. "They're gorgeous!"

"What?" Elliot asked, confused. He saw the bouquet of wildflowers at her door and furrowed his brow. "Yeah," he said. "They are."

Olivia bent down and scooped up the vase, ignoring the tiny, white card on the floor, smiling brightly. "What are they for?" she asked him, kissing his cheek.

"Uh, I need a reason?" Elliot asked. He didn't send them, but he certainly wasn't going to tell her that. She was his, and he was gonna make damn sure she stayed that way.

"I guess not, El," Olivia said, still looking into his eyes. "I'm just not completely sure of this, ya know? Us? You buying me flowers, and kissing me in random, cameraless parts of the station. I still can't wrap my head around what's happening here, that we're really…doing this," she confessed.

Elliot brushed her hair back and kissed her soft lips, nuzzling her nose as he pulled away. "We are, and you need to hurry up and come to grips with it, because we have four years of pent-up tension and unrequieted love to make up for and I don't know how long I can wait to start catching up."

Olivia chuckled and finally shoved the key into her lock, opening her door. "Cool your jets, Stabler. I get it. But flowers?"

"You bring out the romantic in me, baby," Elliot said, pointing to a dozen, long-stemmed, red roses, in a tall, crystal vase, sitting on her coffee table. He really was responsible for those. "See?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm really not used to being so spoiled," Olivia said, feeling herself leaning back into him, unaware.

"Get used to it," Elliot said as he kissed the back of her head. "As long as you're mine, which is going to be very long, you're gonna be spoiled rotten"

Casey, from her peephole, watched them close the door behind them and she was not happy. How dare he take credit for her romantic gesture? He got her plain roses, and she got her flowers that were more suited to her. Wild, colorful, unique, exotic, all things that could be used to describe Olivia herself. As she walked back to her couch, Casey thought the roses were fitting, too. Classy, delicate, beautiful, expensive. She shook her head trying to figure out what was going on, and why she couldn't get her foot in the door to Olivia's personal life. She smirked and shot a glance toward her own front door, and thought, maybe, there was a way she could.

She waited until she heard the construction crew leave, it took a few hours, but she didn't mind staying awake for this, and she opened her door, slinking across the hall.

* * *

"El," Olivia said, knocking lightly on the newly installed door. "El?" she called, louder.

Elliot opened the door, wearing a Superman tee-shirt and flannel bottoms, littered with the Man-of-Steel's emblem. He smirked at her. "You rang, Madam?" he asked, in a thick, cheesy, British accent, as he bowed lightly.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You told me to come back over here and knock on the damn door so you could act like Mister Belvedere?"

"Liv, how cool is that?" Elliot laughed as he pulled her through the doorway into his arms. "Look at it, baby," he said, nodding toward the now-closed door as his hands caressing her. "The addresses on our work forms are different, making it seem as if we're just neighbors. If anyone comes over, that's just a closet. No one needs to know, Liv." He kissed her, backing her up down the hall, moving her into his bedroom. "No one needs to find out," he breathed hotly into her ear, kissing her neck. "Not yet," he whispered, nibbling at her pulse.

"Feels so good," Olivia gasped, falling backward onto his bed.

Elliot landed gently on top of her, peppering her entire face and body with sweet kisses. "I know it does, baby," he whispered to her. "I feel it, too, Liv." He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, fear and uncertainty swimming in his. "I love you," he said. "I know you probably think it's too soon, but I can't…"

"I love you, too," Olivia said. She gasped, as she wasn't quite sure she was saying it out loud until she saw the look on his face.

"So," Elliot said, smirking. "You love me. As long as I've loved you?" he asked, tilting his head.

Olivia shrugged, still speechless.

"Three years, eleven months, two weeks, and five days," Elliot said. "Took me a week to make sure you were real, then I let myself fall in love with you. It took two days."

Olivia bit her lip, nodded, and tried to sit up, her fight or flight instincts kicking in.

Elliot held her down and cupped her chin. "Don't, Liv," he said, pleading. "Don't run from this, please. I'm not gonna hurt you, baby. Trust me."

Olivia felt her lips curling into a smile, and she met his loving gaze. "You're the only person I do, completely, trust, El," she said, kissing him.

Elliot furrowed his brow slightly. "Then why were you trying to…"

Olivia cut him off with a kiss, long and deep. "Please, just never give me a reason not to."

"Never, Liv," Elliot promised, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, sinking into his kisses.

* * *

Casey had managed to jimmy the lock on Olivia's apartment, and she slowly creeped inside. She tiptoed through the living room, looking for any sign of a husband, or an ex-husband. The only framed photos she could find were of Olivia and Elliot, and yes, in some pictures he had a gold band around his finger. Olivia's hands were conspicuoualy not visible in her photos. She sat on Olivia's couch, looking around just a bit, and thought that it was, in fact, the apartment of a single woman. She was about to consider a recent divorce, or separation, but that's when she heard it. Olivia's voice. A moan. A deep, satisfied, moan. One word. "Elliot."

Casey slowly made her way over to the door, it looked new, shiny. Her hand reached out for the knob, but a voice from Olivia's open front door made her jump back.

"Detective Benson?" the voice called. "You…you're not Olivia," the dark-haired man said to her.

"No," Casey said. "I live across the hall. Who are you?"

The man's lips slanted into a snarl. "What are you doing in here, and where's Olivia?"

"I think she's, uh, next door," Casey said, jutting her thumb toward the wall to her left.

"Oh, Stabler," the man said. "Right. What are you doing in here? You know breaking and entering is…"

"I just, uh, I was just leaving. But you never told me who you are," Casey said, raising an eyebrow.

The man led Casey out, locking the door behind him. "I live down the hall. I'm Simon." He turned Casey around in his arms and glared at her, making her eyes widen. "If you do anything to hurt her, or if I ever see you in my sister's apartment without her again, you're going to be in an awful lot of trouble, do you understand?"

Casey nodded vigorously, shaking.

"Oh, shit," Simon said, letting go of Casey, "We never met. We never spoke. You don't know I exist, got it?"

Casey nodded again, but found her voice as she asked, "Why?"

Simon sighed, looking back at Elliot's apartment door. "Because she doesn't."

**A/N: What now? Simon's been watching over her? Just how long has she known her brother without realizing it? And what crazy conclusion has Casey come to about Olivia and Elliot? Review for the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Casey takes her voyeurism a step too far, Elliot and Olivia take the next step in their relationship, and Simon decides its time to make his presence known, for the sake of his sister.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

Olivia fluttered her eyes open, and they focused on the brightly smiling face of Elliot. "Hey, Superman," she said groggily.

"Hey, Wonder-Woman," Elliot said to her, brushing his lips against hers.

"Guess we spent the night together," Olivia said, as she snuggled closer to him, capturing his lips again.

Elliot nodded, kissing her, making a content, moaning sound. "Fully clothed," he said, pulling away from her. "I have more will power than I thought."

"Well, you certainly know your way around a pair of pajamas, Stabler," Olivia quipped. "Those hands of yours are magical and dangerous."

Elliot chuckled and bent his head to kiss her. "Dontcha just love Sundays?" he asked, nuzzling her. "We could lie here all day if we wanted to."

"Until that phone rings," Olivia said, plopping small kisses down his jaw, across his neck. "And we both know it's gonna ring," she complained, running her tongue along the inside of his ear, then skirting it around to the back of it.

Elliot moaned softly. "You might not wanna do that, Liv," he warned.

"I know what I'm doing," Olivia whispered, taking his earlobe into her mouth, nibbling and sucking for a moment, before letting it go with a little pop. Her mouth trailed back toward the spot behind his ear, the spot that she knew drove him insane. She'd found it accidentally, teasing him one day. She was flicking his ear, trying to annoy him, and she let her fingertip graze that spot. He turned on her with such a fierceness in his eyes, and let out a low growl. He told her if she ever did that again, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions. She wanted to see what he meant by that, now.

"Liv," he groaned. "You really shouldn't…shit," he grumbled, his head lolling forward onto her shoulder. "You're gonna make me cry, baby, is that really what you want?"

Olivia chuckled as her tongue danced over the tender skin behind his ear, sending shockwaves through his system, making every part of his body hyperaware of what was going on around him. "El," she whispered, suckling at his soft spot, "How many people know what this does to you?"

"Just you," Elliot grunted, bucking his hips as she bit down gently. "Kathy never bothered…fucking hell, baby, you need to stop." He was unconsciously grinding against her. He couldn't help it.

Olivia shook her head, nuzzling his neck, never stopping her attack on his pulse points. "Why are you fighting it, El? Weren't you the one who said you couldn't wait to start catching up?"

Elliot grunted in frustration. "Don't wanna rush you," he garbled, his mouth pressed against her collarbone.

"Does it look like you're rushing me?" Olivia asked, wickedly. She ran her tongue down the back of his ear, slowly, one last time, before Elliot found his strength.

"I warned you, Olivia," Elliot growled, tugging down her flannel pants. "You don't listen, do you?" he asked, teasingly, pushing her shirt up, over her chest, slowly, deliberately capturing her nipples between his fingers as he slid the material over her head. He gasped, once she was fully naked, taking in the sight of her bare beauty.

"You're making me nervous," Olivia said, biting her lip. "El?"

"Gimme a minute, baby," Elliot requested. "I'm trying to remember how to breathe. You are so beautiful, Liv. So beautiful, and so mine." He smirked at her before attempting to pull off his Superman shirt, but Olivia reached out and swatted his hands away, preferring to undress him herself. She ran her hands up under the cotton, feeling his sculpted chest, then grabbed the shirt and pulled it up, loving the way he raised his arms to help her. He kissed her sweetly and took the shirt from her, tossing it to the floor.

Olivia grabbed his shoulders, twisting him, and had him lie back on the bed, without saying a word. She fingered the waistband of his pants, tugging lightly, dipping her hands in, feeling his legs and making him crazy with anticipation, then running them back out to grab the flannel. She dragged the material down his body, slowly, keeping her eyes on his, afraid to look at his now-free erection. She knew she'd get nervous, but if she looked in his eyes, she'd stay calm, she'd stay in the moment.

Both completely naked, now, they took a moment to let the gravity of what they were about to do sink in, and they took a deep breath, filling their lungs from the fresh air filtering in through the open window.

Also filtering in from the open window, was the vision of an unwelcome voyeur. She sat in the vacant apartment in the building next door, with a pair of binoculars. She'd watched Olivia's door all night, and all morning, and when she heard nothing, saw nothing, she knew that Olivia had to be with _him_. She used her power as an attorney to get access to the empty space, and now she sat, watching them, excited and depressed, turned on and heartbroken, conflicting emotions eating her up. She watched as Olivia finally moved, crawling like a panther over Elliot's body, bending low, leaving her perfect ass in the air as she grasped his erection, caressed it, then licked it, giving it one, long, slow, lick, from base to tip.

Elliot's back arched and it was certain that he made some kind of incredible noise, and Olivia smirked as she lowered her head again, this time wrapping her beautiful, perfect lips around his shaft, sinking down, and rising up, sucking him and enjoying every minute of it. Elliot's hand went immediately to the back of her head, more to keep her from pushing herself too far and choking, than forcing her down. If this was anything, it was purely love-making. After a few glorious minutes Elliot convulsed, and tried to get Olivia away from him, but she held him down, held her mouth over him, and kept sucking, telling him she was taking everything he was going to give her. Elliot's hips bucked a bit, and Olivia's eyes rolled back into her head. He was cumming, Olivia was making him cum. The woman watching was aroused, jealous, and terribly intrigued. There was nothing about this that was not beautiful, she admitted to herself as she watched it all happen. She only wished she could hear it.

"Holy mother of God," Elliot whispered, wrapping his hand around Olivia's neck. He pushed her up, gently, and pulled her slowly toward him. "God, Liv, baby. That was phenomenal," he whispered to her, his eyes frozen in shock as he looked into hers.

Olivia smirked at him, still silent, and waited to see what he would do.

Elliot surprised her by kissing her, almost violently. He flipped them over and slid down her body, eager to return her actions, and he grinned smugly, like the cocky son of a bitch he was, when he reached his destination to find her wet, swollen, and halfway to where he wanted her. "You might wanna bite down on something," Elliot told Olivia, looking up at her.

"Okay," Olivia replied, cheekily reaching for his hand, which was resting on her stomach. She slid his hand up her body and put his index finger into her mouth. She sucked on it, spurring Elliot into action.

The woman watching, now feeling hopelessly envious, and wetter than she'd ever been in her entire life, saw Olivia immediately respond to Elliot's oral manipulation. Her back arched slightly, the hand that was not holding his wound itself into his hair, and she was bucking her hips in short, slow waves. Elliot, licking and kissing, and suckling on her core, making love to her with his mouth, the way she'd done to him, was in Heaven. He would stop every few seconds to lick his lips and say something to her, but the watching woman couldn't read lips.

"Oh, God, El," Olivia cried, almost helplessly as she felt her body catch on fire, "I love you, too, baby." She clutched the short hairs on his head with one hand, and pressed his fingers into her mouth with her other. She sucked on them, bit them, moaned around them, finally she pulled his hand out of her mouth and covered her lips with it as she screamed, cumming into his waiting mouth. She rode out her orgasm with Elliot lapping up everything that had spilled, kissing her inner thighs and legs gently, then making his way up to meet her. He looked down at her, breathing heavily, gasping, looking spent and satisfied, but looking so in love with him. He smiled at her and bent his head to kiss her, the remaining juices in both mouths meshing and blending. Their arms wound around each other, their legs entangled, and their mouths never, not once, broke apart.

The woman cried, watching them, knowing that it must be so hard to hide a love like that from people. She'd just witnessed love, in its rawest, purest form, and she longed to be a part of that. She knew that when they said, "Till death do us part," they meant every word. She could see it in the way they looked at each other, the way they fondled and touched, the way they kissed and caressed, and the way they gave and took so equally, without being asked, or prodded. The way they came for each other, with each other, made her weep, and she knew that it must break Olivia's heart not to be able to wear his ring at work. It was going to break her heart when she would take his ring off for good, if she could bring herself to come between them now.

She watched as Elliot pulled back from their kiss with an annoyed look on his face. He was angry. She was worried for a moment, until she watched him reach for his phone on the nightstand. He spoke for a bit, then hung up. He dropped his head to Olivia's, kissing her again, then started to move off of her to get out of the bed. He got to his feet, still naked, and reached out a hand.

Olivia took it, as Elliot pulled her up into his arms, and ran his hands down her body, grabbing her legs and hiking them up around her waist. Olivia's head bent back as she laughed, but quickly righted itself. She kissed him as Elliot carried her into the bathroom, and away from the watchful eyes of Casey Novak.

* * *

Showered, dressed, and closer than they'd ever been, Elliot and Olivia left his apartment, together. They were heading down the hall when they ran into Simon.

"Detective Benson!" Simon greeted, cheerfully. "How have you been?"

Olivia smiled. "I'm good, Simon," she said, brightly. "Really good. Oh, uh, Simon Marsden, this is Elliot Stabler. He's my partner."

"Oh," Simon said, holding out his hand. "Guess you're too old to be called a boyfriend?"

Elliot chuckled as he shook Simon's hand. "She meant partner, as in work. I'm Detective Elliot Stabler," he clarified. "And I'm her boyfriend."

"He just moved in next door to me," Olivia said, slightly amused that Elliot just referred to himself as her boyfriend, "So he's your new neighbor, Simon."

"You're heading to work? Isn't today your day off?" Simon asked, furrowing his brow.

Olivia, unsure of why he knew that, said, "Yeah, but when they get busy, or something big comes up, we get called in. That's what happened. "

"Hey, Detective Benson," Simon said, "Sometime next week, do you think you and, uh, Elliot was it?"

"Yeah, Elliot," Elliot said with a smile.

"Simon, I've lived down the hall from you for four years," Olivia said. "Stop calling me Detective Benson."

Simon smiled. "Okay, Olivia, then. Would you and Elliot like to have dinner with us? My wife and I, we'd love to have you," he offered. "And it'll give us a chance to get to know Elliot. The new neighbor."

Olivia looked at Elliot, who smiled at her and gave a smiling shrug. "Sure," she said. "That would be really nice, Simon. Thanks."

"We gotta go, baby," Elliot said, looking at his watch. "It was nice meeting you," he said to Simon, ushering Olivia down the hall.

"Nice to meet you, too!" Simon called, smiling. And it was. It was nice to finally meet the only other person in the world who would lie, cheat, steal, kill, or die for Olivia. It was nice to finally meet the man who he'd been silently watching and protecting for four years, simply because he meant the world to his sister, and was usually with her. And, when they had that dinner, it would be nice to finally welcome them both into the family. He smirked as he headed down the hall to his door, only giving slight pause to the apartment across from Olivia's. Casey Novak was another person he'd been keeping an eye on, and he was not about to protect her.

**A/N: Oh, my, my! Next chapter, dinner with friends! Or is it family? Will Simon tell Olivia he's her brother? How will she react? And what little gift has he left, anonymously, for Olivia and Elliot at work? And who does Casey accidentally spill her misconception to? **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Dinnertime with Simon! A "gift" for Olivia and Elliot, left anonymously. And Casey blabs about a marriage that doesn't exist, but to whom?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

"It was really nice of that Simon guy to invite us over," Elliot said, straightening out his tie as they left the squadroom.

"Yeah," Olivia said with a smile. "He's usually very shy, kinda standoffish. It's, uh, unexpected." She yawned and added, "And I wish we could cancel."

"Me, too, Liv," Elliot said, stifling his own yawn, "But that would be rude."

They walked into the elevator, yawning again, as it'd been a rough case. It took up most, if not all, of their time over the last three days. Neither one had been home, neither one had slept, and neither one had eaten. They were not looking forward to spending a night with virtual strangers in the moods they were in.

"Liv," Elliot said as the doors opened, "These are our neighbors, hun, we should go. We won't stay long. I'm sure they'll understand if we eat and run."

Olivia smirked. "You just called me 'hun,' El."

"I did," Elliot said with a grin as they walked out of the doors and headed for their car. They got in, buckled up, and rode in comfortable silence to their building. Away from the eyes of anyone who could get them in trouble, Elliot got out and opened the door for Olivia, taking her hand and pulling her toward her for a long, sensual kiss before they headed inside.

"What was that for?" Olivia asked, breathless.

"Because I love you," Elliot replied, giving her nose a light nuzzle with his. "It takes everything I have not to throw you up against the wall and kiss you like that at work, so the second I'm able, baby, that's the first thing I'm gonna do. Every night."

Olivia chuckled. "I can live with that," she said. She took Elliot's hand in hers and pulled him up the steps, through the doors.

They made their way up to their floor, and were shocked, in a bad way, to see Casey Novak struggling to open her door. "Oh, no," Elliot groaned. "Please, tell me you're just visiting someone, Novak," he griped.

"Nope," Casey returned smiling. "I live here, as I have noticed you two do. Right across the hall, guys! Now we can hang out after work, too. Um, are you guys busy tonight? I made cookes! Would you like to come in?" she asked eagerly.

"No, thanks," Olivia said, "We're having dinner with..."

"Olivia!" Simon called brightly from in front of his door. "Elliot, you guys coming?"

Elliot had never been so happy to see someone he didn't know before. "Yeah, right now, actually. Liv, move it..."

"Hold on," Casey said, confused. "You're having dinner with him? So you know who he is, then?"

Olivia raised her eyebrow. "Of course I do! He's..."

"Yes," Elliot said, cutting her off. "We know him, and we love him. Okay, let's go, Liv." He gave Olivia a gentle shove toward Simon's door and exhaled in relief when they got away from Casey. "She makes me nervous," Elliot whispered to her.

Olivia chuckled. "El, you have nothing to worry about, baby. I'm not a..."

"No, baby. Not because she's got the hots for you," Elliot laughed. "She just...there's just something wrong with her."

Simon held the door open, watching Olivia and Elliot enter, pretending he didn't hear them talking about Casey. He couldn't wait to let them know that she was spying on them, he couldn't wait to let them know she liked to watch them, and he couldn't wait to let them know that he'd been watching Casey do it all. "So," Simon said, closing the door behind them, "Olivia, Elliot, this is my wife Sarah."

"Nice to meet you," Olivia said, extending her hand.

"I have heard so much about you," Sarah said, smiling. "Both of you. Simon's told me everything."

Olivia shot a glance at Elliot as Simon cleared his throat. "As much as one could know about two of the greatest detectives the NYPD has ever seen," he said, attempting to justify his wife's statement.

"Oh, uh, yeah, well, we have had our share of New York Times headlines," Elliot said with a shrug. "Haven't we, baby?" he asked, kissing Olivia on the cheek.

Sarah gave her husband an inquisitive look, then led Olivia and Elliot into the dining room. "I hope you both like Italian," she said, annoyance in her voice. She knew damn well they liked Italian, since Simon wouldn't shut up about it, forcing her to memorize several recipes specifically for tonight. If he was about to tell her he wasn't as close to Olivia and Elliot as he said he was, he'd be wearing the lasagna, not eating it.

"Yeah," Elliot said. "We love Italian food. This looks womderful!"

Olivia nodded happily, inhaling the tomato-garlic aroma as they sat at the table. "Everything looks so amazing, Sarah. If I even attempted to make any of this, we'd all be homeless because I'd burn the whole building down."

"Oh, baby, you're not that bad of a cook," Elliot assured her, rubbing her knee under the table. "That casserole you made last week was good!"

Olivia chuckled as she shook her head. "It wasn't supposed to be a casserole, El. It was supposed to be a pot pie, but I burned the crust. We just ate the filling over leftover rice from the Chinese we had the night before."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and smirked. "It was still good, Liv," he cooed as he leaned into her for a quick kiss.

Simon grinned at how happy they looked, how in love they were. He was filled with warmth knowing Olivia finally had her Elliot.

"You two look so sweet together," Sarah stated. "Tell me, how long have you been married?"

Olivia's eyes widened, Elliot choked on the wine he'd been drinking, and Simon spit his out, spraying the white, grape alcohol all over the lasagna. Clearly, Sarah had been misinformed.

"We, uh, aren't," Olivia said, shaking her head.

Elliot pressed his lips together. "We, uh, we've been together long enough to be considered married, though," he said, wiping the wine off of the table in front of him.

After cleaning up the mess, and the rumor, dinner was pretty normal. Simon shared a few things with Olivia and Elliot, they shared a few things with him and Sarah. The only thing he never mentioned was the fact that he was Olivia's brother. It was too soon, too abrupt. He didn't want to upset Olivia, or make Elliot angry. Dessrt was wonderful. They had a lovely time, and before he let Olivia and Elliot leave, he had to tell them. "Guys, I think you two need to, uh, be mindful of Miss Novak," he said as he walked them out. "She's quite nosy, you know."

"Thanks, Simon," Elliot said. "We do know that."

Sarah, quirking her eyebrow, said, "No, Elliot, she's_ really_ nosy. Simon thinks she's been watching you. In a creepy, weird, obsessive way. In fact, she's the one who told me you were married."

Simon hummed in agreement. "And, I don't want to scare you, but I saw her in your apartment on Monday, Olivia. I don't know how she got inside, but she was in your living room. I'd be really careful..."

Elliot's eyes narrowed, to an evil point, and he spat, "What?"

"That's just fucking terrific," Olivia muttered.

"Thanks for telling us, guys. Same time next week, right?" Elliot asked, changing the subject and saying goodbye at the same time, eager to get home and in bed before he did something really stupid.

"Yes," Sarah said, smiling.

"Bye," Simon said, and he watched, making sure they got down the hall and into their conjoined apartments safely. He shot Casey's door a harsh glare as he closed his own, making his way over to the computer.

* * *

Neither Olivia nor Elliot slept soundly that night. How did Simon and his wife know so much about them? Why the hell was Casey in Olivia's apartment, and how did she even get in? How could they kill her and get away with it? These questions plagued their minds until the alarm went off, when they robotically got out of Elliot's bed and padded, synchronized, into the bathroom. Showering together had become their routine, and usually, they actually made it a whole five minutes before devouring each other completely. Today, though, they didn't even last long enough for the water to get hot.

Elliot had Olivia pinned against his cold, blue tiles, his fingers lacing through her hair as he kissed her with reckless abandon, knowing he was probably bruising her lips, biting them hard. He hadn't even said "good morning," but actions do speak louder than words. One of his hands trailed down her body, his fingers slipping inside of her, his ears sighing contentedly as they listened to her gasping moans.

Olivia, not one to be outdone, worked her nimble, delicate fingers down Elliot's back, over his waist, and down to the rigid length that had been pressing into her belly. She stroked him, still kissing him, waiting for him to say something. Anything. The silence, only broken by moans and murmurs, was deafening.

"I love you," Elliot whispered into her ear.

There it was, Olivia thought as she smiled. "I love you, El," she moaned, feeling herself clenching around his fingers all too soon. How he brought her up and over the edge so quickly, when many of the other men in her life couldn't do it all, amazed her. She figured out that it had to be due to all of the emotions that came with his touch, the love she felt with every breath he took in her presence. "Oh, God," she cried, her head falling back against the tiles, her hand working him faster. "Oh, El, baby," she moaned, her hips moving as fast as his hand.

"Christ, Liv," Elliot grunted, kissing her, swiping her clit with his thumb, "You drive me crazy."

"Payback's a bitch," Olivia quipped. "Hmm, Elliot," she purred, dragging her tongue over his neck. Then her eyes widened, and she yelled his name, finally cumming, slamming her mouth into his, moaning into his mouth as she felt him tense, pulse, and release, grunting and cursing into the kiss.

Elliot's forehead dropped to hers, and his hot, quick, panting breath hit her lips, teasing her. He chuckled in post-orgasmic bliss. "Good morning," he said, kissing her sweetly.

All Olivia could do was laugh.

They finished their shower, dressed, grabbed two muffins from the bowl on Elliot's counter, and headed out, eager to start their day and forget about the awkward tension that would be mounting between them and Casey Novak. They drove, holding hands, to the station. They sat, kissed for a few minutes before getting out of the car once they parked, and sighed in disappointment as they had to head inside, hiding the truth from their colleagues, their bosses, and their friends.

One colleague, however, had seen them making out in the car, and she smirked. On her way passed the station to her own building, she devised a plan. She wouldn't break them up, no, they were too in love, too together, too happy. She couldn't destroy that. She would just have to find a way to become a part of it.

* * *

Olivia was the first one to walk into the sqaudroom, and she sat at her desk with a smile on her face. Elliot, looking just as happy, had one leg bent, ready to sit, when he saw the file on his desk. "Hey, Liv?" he questioned, handing the file to her. "This is for you."

"Why is it on your desk?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're my partner, Liv," Elliot said, smirking. "I guess whoever left it thought it didn't matter who got it, since we'd both be looking at it anyway."

Olivia opened it, gasped, shut it quickly, and handed it back to him. "Shit," she spat. "Look at it, El," she told him, looking around nervously.

Elliot, confused, opened the file and his eyes went dark as they grew wide. "Wow, so, uh, that's what we look like, then? We are hot! Have you see the face you're making in..."

"Read the letter!" Olivia whispered harshly.

Elliot scanned the document, and chuckled to himself. "Wow. So, uh, apparently someone's been watching someone who's been watching us ..." he paused, his smirk growing evil. "You think Simon left this here?"

"Good job, Detective Stabler," Olivia said, shaking her head. "Who else could it have been? Simon said he had a feeling she was watching us. Maybe he found out she really was! How did he get these pictures? God, This is embarrassing, El. No wonder she thinks we're married."

"Well," Elliot said, still grinning, "At least she's getting one hell of a show. If she wants to think we're married, let her. No one around here will believe her if she tells anyone, and we can always say that these are photshopped, Liv. No one suspects that we're together. We made sure of that."

"You're being very calm and...logical," Olivia said, tilting her head. "Why aren't you getting all Hulk-like?"

"Because," Elliot said, handing her back the file, "I have wanted this life with you for so long, Liv. I have come up with a solution to every problem we could possibly encounter. I put a lot of thought into it over the last four years, Liv."

Olivia smiled at him. "You have, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "I'm not gonna let anyone rip you away from me. Especially not like this. If she wants to play, we'll play, but first we're changing the locks on our doors, and opening up that wall. If she gets in through one door, we'll know. No matter where we are, we'll hear her."

Olivia smirked and mouthed, "I love you," to him, as Cragen stepped out of his office. Their day was beginning, and for now, they had to put their personal problems aside to deal with the thousands of professional ones they'd have to face. They were gonna have plenty to deal with when they got home, and found someone waiting for them, in Olivia's bedroom.

**A/N: Who is it? How will Olivia and Elliot react? And when Casey starts talking to Fin and Munch, what do they tell her? Review to find out! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Someone's waiting for Olivia in her bedroom. Who has Casey been hounding for information? And what makes Elliot fall deeper in love with Olivia?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story. **

"I'm so tired," Elliot yawned, leaning against Olivia as she tried to open her apartment door.

Olivia laughed and shoved herself back, rubbing against him. "You don't feel tired," she said sultrily.

Elliot scoffed and attached his lips to the back of her neck. "Well, when I'm around you, certain parts of my body are always awake."

"Always?" Olivia asked, teasingly, as her key finally turned in the lock.

Elliot bucked his hips forward, as if proving his point. "Always," he said to her, his voice low, almost haunting.

They walked, Elliot still attached to the back of her neck, his arms around her, into the living room. He kicked the door closed behind him, she moaned lightly when he bit her, and they both stopped moving when they heard something coming from her bedroom.

"You think that's Casey?" Olivia whispered.

Elliot shrugged, pulling his gun out of his holster. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and they both walked slowly toward the bedroom.

Suddenly, they heard whistling and a man, clad only in his boxers, came out of the bedroom. He raised his hands when he saw the gun, and Olivia raised both eyebrows and let out a tiny squeak.

"Don't shoot," the man said.

Elliot cocked the trigger. "Who the hell are you, and why are you in my girlfriend's apartment, naked?"

"I'm not naked," the man proffered.

"Close enough," Elliot spat.

A young blonde, then, came out of the bedroom, wrapped in Olivia's robe, and asked, "Jimmy what's taking you so...oh, shit!"

"Maureen!" Elliot yelled, viciously. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Daddy!" Maureen yelped. "Oh, God, hi Daddy! Hi, Liv," she said, nodding toward Olivia, who smirked, now understanding what was going on.

Elliot cocked the trigger, making Jimmy's eyes widen. "What are you doing here, with him, Maureen?"

"Uh, Daddy, put the gin down, okay?" Maureen pleaded. "Can we talk about this?"

"After, what's his name? Jimmy? You're name's Jimmy?" Elliot barked at the petrified young man.

Jimmy nodded, his hands still high in the air.

"After Jimmy leaves, which had better be right the fuck now, we can talk about this," Elliot growled.

Jimmy bolted, not even bothering to get his things. They heard the door slam and Elliot dropped his gun. He turned to his daughter and yelled, "Now, Maureen, talk!"

Maureen put her hands on her hips. "You didn't have to do that, Dad! Now he's never gonna speak to me again!"

"You weren't doing much talking! Maureen, you brought a strange kid to Olivia's apartment to have sex with him?" Elliot boomed, fuming.

"Jimmy's not strange!" Maureen cried, protesting.

Elliot scoffed. "Oh, he certainly wasn't normal, Maureen!"

"And we didn't have sex, Dad!" Maureen spat. "Not that it's any of your business, but we didn't! He got up to get a drink and saw you. You kind of stopped..."

"Good! I'm glad I kind of stopped you!" Elliot barked. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"I couldn't really take him home, Dad," Maureen said with a sigh. "Mom would have...well, she wouldn't have been there, but Dickie, Lizzie and Katie were in the house! I knew Olivia wouldn't be home, and I thought we'd be done and gone before she..." Maureen paused, narrowing her eyes at her father. "Wait a minute. What are you doing here?"

Elliot shook his head. "I'm not done yelling at you! You can't ask me anything until..."

"Daddy," Maureen whined, interrupting.

"I walked her home," Elliot said, still sounding like he was yelling at her. "Considering I live right next door, it wasn't like I had to go out of my way."

Maureen raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh," she said, disbelieving.

"I'm serious," Elliot said, leaving out about he and Olivia dating. "Come next door with me, Mo. That's my new apartment," he said, pointing toward the wall.

"Oh, God!" Maureen yelped. "If you had been home, if Jimmy and I would have...you would have heard...oh, ew!"

"How do you think Olivia feels?" Elliot scolded. "You were gonna use her bed!"

Maureen was silent for a second, but then said, "I brought my own sheets."

Elliot shook his head. "Get your stuff, I'm taking you home."

"Are you telling Mom about this?" Maureen asked, sulking into Olivia's room.

"Damn right I am," Elliot shouted.

"God," Maureen sighed. "You ruined what was supposed to be the best night of my life, and now you're gonna blab it all to Crazy Kathy. You are the devil, Dad!" She slammed Olivia's door, making Elliot jump slightly.

Olivia, sighing, put her hands on Elliot's shoulders. "Let me talk to her for a minute, okay?"

Elliot nodded, watching as Olivia walked into her bedroom to talk to his embarrassed, angry, hurt daughter.

Twenty minutes later, Maureen and Olivia emerged from the bedroom, smiling. Maureen was dressed and had her bag, and she walked over to her father and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Okay," Elliot said, hugging her back just as tightly. "Twenty minutes ago, I was Satan and I ruined your life. Now you're hugging me."

Maureen nodded into his chest, hugging tighter. "You saved me, Daddy. Like you always do. You saved me from making a huge mistake." She let go and stood on her toes, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy." She headed out into the hall as Elliot turned, stunned, to Olivia.

"What did you do to her?" Elliot asked.

Olivia smirked. "I told her what I wish my mother was sober enough to tell me. That Jimmy wasn't the one. I told her that what she had to offer a man was more powerful, and more special, and so much more than just her body, and she had to wait until she was absolutely certain that a guy was worthy of it all. I told her that when that man came along, she'd know, and he would be willing to wait forever for her."

"Wow," Elliot said softly, looking at her. "And that prompted her to hug me like that?" he asked, looking at Olivia with more adoration and admiration than ever.

"Well, that might have something to do with the fact that she, then, said that she wanted to wait for someone like her daddy," Olivia said, smiling at him. "Because I did, actually, describe her daddy."

"You did?" Elliot asked, his heart swelling.

"You're the only man, El, that I've ever given more than just my body to," Olivia said, almost like a confession. "The only man I've ever given my heart to, and you've had it, since the moment we met. The moment I knew you were the one."

Elliot pulled her closer to him and whispered, "I love you." He ran his hand through her hair, brushing his lips across hers. "And yeah, I would wait forever for you, Liv. But I'm very happy that I don't have to."

Olivia kissed him and chuckled. "We should get Maureen home."

Elliot nodded, then said, "You're gonna be an amazing mother."

Olivia turned on her heels, wide-eyed. "What?"

"My last custody hearing is Thursday, Liv," Elliot said as they walked toward the door. "I'm bringing my kids home, and you are going to be one amazing mother to them." He kissed her forehead, chuckling at the look on her face, as they stepped out into the hall to meet his oldest child.

They walked down the hall, turning, oblivious to the person watching their every move.

* * *

Elliot sat at his desk, looking at a file, making odd grunting noises as he tried to choke down a cup of Munch's coffee.

"I know you don't wanna go, El," Olivia said, "But we don't have a choice."

Munch looked up, confused. "Benson, you understood him?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia said, smirking. "I speak fluent Douchebag."

"Hey!" Elliot spat, throwing his pen at her.

Laughing, Olivia caught it, and stuck her tongue out at him. "You are, and you know it," she spat.

Elliot chuckled, feeling more comfortable with her than ever. The relief that came with telling her how he felt about her, and having her feel the same, was incredible.

Fin, watching, chuckled and said, "Now, is that any way to treat your husband, Baby-Girl?"

Olivia's eyes widened and Elliot choked on the already impossible to swallow coffee, spitting it out all over himself. "What?" they both spat, simultaneously.

Fin chuckled. "The new A.D.A," he said. "She thinks you're married. She was talkin' to me and Munch this mornin' at Nicoletti's arraignment."

"What did you tell her?" Elliot asked harshly, wiping the coffee off of his tie.

Munch chuckled. "We, uh, we didn't correct her. We think it's kinda funny."

"We told her your wedding was small, intimate, and the brass doesn't know, so she needs to keep her mouth shut," Fin said, still chuckling.

"You...why would you...what the hell, Fin?" Olivia sputtered, her heart rate speeding up.

"Relax, Baby-Girl," Fin said. "We'll tell her we were just messin' with her eventually. We just wanna see what she gets you first."

"Gets us?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

Munch laughed then and said, "Yeah. She told us she felt badly for something she said to you, or did or something, and she's buying you a late wedding gift."

"Oh, my God," Olivia said, turning to look at Elliot. "This is gonna be fun."

Elliot smirked. "Hey, free stuff is always fun."

"El, the woman thinks we're married!" Olivia whispered over her desk. "That's only gonna add to the list of reasons she's obsessed..."

"Liv," Elliot said, cutting her off, "If she tries anything, and we can prove it's her, I promise you, I'll take care of it. No one messes with the only woman I've ever given more than just my body to and gets away with it."

Olivia looked blankly at him as his words hit her. He winked at her and a slow smile spread across her face. They were partners, friends, neighbors, and so much more than lovers, and Olivia knew, then, that he wasn't letting anything, or anyone, change that.

**A/N: What does Casey try? How do the kids find out about Olivia and Elliot, and how do they react? And when Casey lets her secret slip to the wrong person, what happens? Review for the answers, or just because you want to, or just because that button down there is too darn cute!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Casey sends her gift, Olivia gets home to another surprise, and Simon confronts his sister's stalker.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Dad," Dickie yelled into the kitchen, trying to be heard over the noise of the construction crew. "Dad!"

"What?" Elliot yelled back.

"Delivery for you and Liv!" Dickie yelled, gesturing to the door.

Elliot raised an eyebrow and walked to the front door, looking at his son. "Go help Maureen with her room, Dickie. I got this."

"Does Liv know you won, yet?" Dickie asked, folding his arms, watching his father sign for the package.

"God, you make it sound like it was a football game," Elliot said with a chuckle, closing the door and bringing the large box into his living room.

Dickie laughed. "Sorry," he said. "Did you tell her we all wanted to live here? Did you tell her we're moving in? Did you tell her you told us, and that the only one who's pissed is Kathleen?"

Elliot looked, flabbergasted, at his son. "I haven't talked to her all day, no. She's at work. She'll, uh, find out when she gets home, I guess."

The drilling and sawing started up again, causing Dickie to roll his eyes. "You think she'll be happy?"

"Who the hell is Gabby?" Elliot yelled, having misheard Dickie.

"I said, do you think Liv will be happy?" Dickie yelled louder, heading toward Olivia's room, which was now Maureen's.

"Yes!" Elliot yelled. He watched his son disappear into the room, and he sighed. He really wasn't sure how Olivia would feel about all of this. He hoped the new king-sized bed would be enough to cushion the blow.

* * *

Olivia, trying to ignore Casey's rambling in her ear, rolled her eyes as she walked toward her door. "Okay, Casey," Olivia said. "I'm going in now, and I really…"

"I'd love to come in!" Casey yelled excitedly, before even knowing what Olivia was gonna say.

"Oh," Olivia said, stunned. "Um, I was just gonna say that I really want to go to bed, my day has been absolute hell. Sorry."

Casey looked downhearted, but she smiled. "Hey, tomorrow's Friday, why don't you and Elliot come over to my place after work, we'll have a few drinks, talk."

Olivia was skeptical, but this might be an opportunity to clear up the misconceptions about her and Elliot, and to tell her that she was being really pushy. "Sounds nice, Casey," she said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Liv," Casey said.

"Olivia," Olivia said, her eyes narrow.

Casy looked back at her with a confused expression. "What?"

"My name's Olivia," Olivia said, firmly. "There's only a handful of people that call me 'Liv," she said. "I'd prefer it if…just, call me Olivia," she said with a pressed together smile and a nod.

"Oh," Casey said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Okay, sorry, Olivia."

Olivia nodded again, then opened her apartment door. The smells of paint, varnish, sawdust and lemon-scented furniture polish hit her hard. "Woah, am I walking into Home Depot?"

"No," Elliot said. "Just home."

Olivia looked toward him and gasped. The wall was half gone, and the two apartments merged, seamlessly, into one grand living space. Olivia's whole apartment was now the living room, appliances were removed from her kitchen, and in their place stood an apartment sized washer and dryer. Elliot's living room was now the dining room, with a larger table, she noticed, and more chairs. The kitchen had been remodeled, all new appliances and wood-flooring.

"What the hell did you do?" Olivia asked, wide-eyed, stunned, but not angry.

"I, uh, well, Liv, it's big enough for six now," Elliot said, unsure of how she'd react.

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she walked further into the space. "Six?" she asked.

Elliot nodded, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face.

"You got custody of the kids?" Olivia asked, her own smile beaming brightly.

Again, Elliot nodded. "They're here, and they, uh, they know. I had to tell them, I had to explain why…"

"Oh, God," Olivia interrupted. "What, uh, what'd they say? Do they all hate me?"

Elliot chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "They don't hate you. Maureen's thrilled, because you know she thinks you're the most amazing person in the world. Dickie and Lizzie had a feeling it would be you, after Kathy, and they've already gotten used to the idea of us. It'll be weird for a while, but they're okay."

"You skipped one," Olivia said, looking at him suspiciously.

"Caught that, did ya?" Elliot said with a tiny chuckle. "Kathleen's pissed, Liv. She thinks…well, she thought I'd spend a few years pining for her mother, or date a string of leggy, blondes. She's not comfortable with us being so serious so quickly, and she's not too happy that it's you."

Olivia took a breath, feeling slightly hurt and uncomfortable with the fact that Kathleen felt that way, but she said, "Can't win 'em all, right?"

"She'll come around, baby," Elliot said, kissing Olivia's forehead.

"What the hell is that?" Olivia asked, looking over Elliot's shoulder.

Elliot turned, then chuckled. "That's our wedding gift from Casey."

"What the fuck is it?" Olivia asked, tilting her head as she walked toward it.

"It's an industrial espresso maker," Elliot said, patting it on the top. "Nice, huh?"

Olivia looked at him as if he was crazy. "It's hideous, and neither of us drinks espresso."

"I guess she figured with all the coffee we drink," Elliot said with a shrug. "I feel horrible for not wanting it, ya know? These things are like, eight-hundred bucks. Oh, she also got us a year's subscription to the Espresso Of The Month club," he explained, holding up a tiny bag of espresso beans and a certificate.

"Jesus Christ," Olivia muttered, shaking her head as she headed for her bedroom.

"Oh, shit, Liv!" Elliot called after her. "Wait!"

It was too late. Olivia had seen the cave of pink butterflies and purple flowers her room had become. She walked back out into the hallway holding a pink butterfly pillow and all she had to do was look at Elliot.

Elliot laughed at her face, then sobered as she glared at him. He said, "I was gonna tell you, that's Maureen's room now."

"I can see that," Olivia said, her scowling face threatening to break into a smirk. "Where did my room go?"

Elliot gave her a sheepish, goofy grin, and said, "Our room." He took her hand and led her down the hall into what used to be his bedroom. "See?"

"Oh, my God! Elliot, what did you do?" Olivia asked, running a finger along the cherry wood headboard, down the length of the satin quilt on the new, luxurious bed.

Elliot stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Liv," he whispered in her ear, "I made this real."

Olivia turned to him, her heart pounding in her chest. He was right. He made it real. Too real. Too soon. She opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped when a door opened.

"Dad!" Maureen yelled, coming in through the door on his side. Elliot and Olivia walked into the dining room and watched the kids put down grocery bags. Maureen continued. "We're back. They didn't have any alfredo sauce, so we bought vodka…hey, Liv."

"Hi, Mo," Olivia said, catching Kathleen's glare from behind Maureen.

Dickie and Lizzie dropped their bags and ran over to give her a hug. "Liv!" Lizzie cried. "How cool is this?"

"Really cool, Lizzie," Olivia said, trying to sound sincere.

Kathleen scoffed. "Can we just cook the stupid dinner? I don't know what, exactly, we're celebrating, but I'm hungry."

"Katie," Elliot said, "We're celebrating the fact that you guys are here, okay? You don't have to be thrilled that I'm with Liv, but you don't have to be rude either."

Kathleen shot her father a glare and ripped open the box of penne pasta, wishing it was Olivia's head.

* * *

"Hold on," Casey said to her door, as someone knocked loudly and impatiently. She put the spoon she'd been using to stir her vodka sauce and ran over to it, opening it. "Oh, God! What do you want?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"You need to back off," Simon said, pushing his way into the apartment.

"Excuse me?" Casey asked, snottily. "Back off of what?"

Simon looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Leave my sister and Elliot alone. You work with them. You are not their friend, and you'll never be more than that, so just stop."

Casey smirked. "She doesn't know that you're her brother," she said. "I could tell her."

"Go ahead," Simon said. "I'm planning on doing that soon anyway. Where do you get off inviting them over here for dinner? And sending them that tin monstrosity?"

"It was a gift, as I've missed their wedding. And I invited them over in a friendly, neighborly gesture, to have a few drinks. Not dinner," Casey remarked.

"What are you playing at Novak?" Simon asked, tired of her condescending attitude. "How the hell did you know what they were having for dinner, and how did you know they didn't already have an espresso machine? How the hell are you getting the pictures, Casey?"

Casey smirked, evilly this time. "I'm not trying to break them up, Simon. I've learned that it won't work. All I'm after is to be a part of their lives, a part of their circle. As for how I'm watching them," she said, turning to her television, where the picture-in-picture effect had a movie playing on the TV and Elliot and Olivia helping the kids cook dinner on the inset, "You'd be surprised what you can put cameras in, Simon. There's one in every room, except of course the kids' rooms."

"You can be arrested for…"

"No, I can't," Casey said, snidely. "I had legal reasons, warrants, and an injunction to have them installed."

Simon's eyes widened. "What? How did you manage that?"

"I told Sergeant Tucker that someone was after them. The cameras are part of the surveillance _he_ ordered to make sure they're safe. They're under a protective guard."

"You're sick," Simon spat.

"I'm smart," Casey spat back. "And if you are, you'll stay out of my business. I'm not gonna hurt her Simon. And, though I would love to, I'm not gonna hurt him, or their kids."

"Their kids?" Simon asked, confused.

"Yeah," Casey laughed. "What kind of brother are you? You didn't know they had kids?"

Simon chuckled. "They don't," he said. He got up to walk out, and he turned. "I'm going to see Sergeant Tucker. And then I'm going to talk to someone about getting gthose cameras out of there."

"Try and find them," Casey dared. "And good luck getting Tucker to believe you. You gonna tell him who you are? Risk Olivia finding out?"

"Novak," Simon said, as he opened the door, "Tucker already knows." He slammed the door behind him, leaving Casey nervous and scared as she turned her attention back to the seemingly happy family on the TV.

**A/N: How does Tucker know? Why hasn't he said anything to Olivia? Will Kathleen warm up to Olivia? And who moves in below Olivia and Elliot? Wanna know?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: How does Tucker know about Simon? Why was he so eager to protect Olivia? Who moves into the building, right below them? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"I'm telling you, she's got a screw loose," Simon said, pacing in Ed Tucker's office. "The only person after Olivia is her! She was watching them, Eddy! On her fucking television! She watches them, every night, doing...oh, yuck, I don't wanna think about sex in the same sentence as my sister."

Tucker grimaced, too. "Have you forgotten who you're telling this to? I don't wanna hear it, either, but if you're sure about this, I'll have Morales from TARU go in and find everything he can. They're at work, the kids are at school, I'll have it done now."

"Yeah," Simon said, watching Tucker pick up the phone. "I tried to tell you last night, but you were busy."

"Sorry that my job is a bit more important than my psycho father's two fully grown, illegitimate children," Tucker said, snipping.

Simon made a face. "Fuck you, Ed," he spat.

"Morales," Tucker said into the phone as he gave Simon the finger, "It's Tucker. The Benson-Stabler threat was a false alarm. I need you to go remove...right. She did? Well I never signed off on it, so you go do it, got it? Yeah. I'm your boss, not her. This was an internal affairs case, Morales, no just do it!" He slammed the phone down and sighed. "Yeah, so now all we have to do is wait for her to do something really illegal."

Simon frowned. "That wasn't?"

"No," Tucker said. "It was a viable threat, and I signed off on everything. She didn't do anything wrong, not that I could prove in court."

Simon sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Hey, man, are you ever gonna tell her?"

"Are you?" Tucker asked, narrowing his eyes.

Simon raised a finger, pointing to the sky, and said, "Touché."

* * *

"Um, Stabler," Fin said, raising an eyebrow at Elliot, "What's with the tie?"

Elliot looked down and said, "Oh, uh, Kathleen gave this to me for father's day a few years ago, and I thought I'd wear it today. It goes with the shirt."

Munch rolled his eyes. "Bright yellow smiley faces, Elliot, don't go with anything," he said.

"Yeah," Elliot said, shrugging. "It's on black though, and I'm wearing a black shirt, it goes..."

"You're trying to make your kid happy aren't you?" Munch asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "She kind of hates me at the moment, so I'm busting out all of the bad ties, and the ugly shirts, and I even took out the clay ashtray she made me when she was in fourth grade."

"You don't smoke," Fin said, laughing.

Elliot scoffed. "She keeps acting the way she is and I'll probably start."

Olivia ran a hand through her hair, sighed, and got up. She was really sick of the conversation. It wasn't Elliot that Kathleen was mad at, it was her. She didn't need to be reminded of it. She wandered over to the coffee pot so she could get away.

"Good afternoon, people of SVU," Casey rang out, coming into the bullpen.

Olivia chuckled to herself. This was all she needed today. "What do you want, Novak?" she asked, smirking in self-pity.

"Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Casey snapped.

"I'm not having a good day," Olivia said, actually drinking Munch's coffee. "Just tell us why you're here, we'll give it you, then you can leave and make my day a little better."

Casey narrowed her eyes. She didn't know why Olivia was being so cold, but she didn't like it. "I'm, um, I, uh, was going to tell you that I got your warrant. You can search Snowden's apartment." She handed a folded document to Elliot, but was staring at Olivia. There was something wrong with her. Casey hadn't watched them that morning, so she didn't know what it was, but she was blaming Elliot.

Olivia choked back the sludge in the styrofoam cup, grabbed her keys, and walked out, knowing instinctively Elliot would follow her.

Munch and Fin stared, questioning, at Elliot. "Don't look at me! I don't know what the hell's wrong with her, she's just my partner," he said, getting up to follow her out.

Casey looked at Fin and raised an eyebrow. "They really don't want anyone to know they're married?"

"Shh," Fin said, chuckling. "Don't want Cragen to hear you."

Casey looked toward the door to Cragen's office, then looked at Fin and Munch. She didn't know why they were laughing, but she chuckled with them anyway. She had to fit in with Olivia's crowd, and if that meant laughing at nothing, then so be it.

* * *

Elliot watched as Olivia rifled angrily through the drawers of their perp's desk, finding nothing. He heard her curse harshly as she slammed a drawer shut, and he had to ask. "Okay, I've held it in long enough. Liv, baby, are you okay?"

Olivia laughed, something that she did defensively when she didn't want to cry or get mad. "Am I okay?" she asked, still chuckling. "Yeah, El. I'm fine. My apartment was hijacked without my consent, I'm living with my partner and his kids, one of them hates me, I have to work with the A.D.A from hell, who happens to live across the hall and think we're fucking married, this case is getting to me, your daughter hates me, and I have no where to go to get away from any of it because you took away my fucking apartment!" she blared. "Did I mention this? Kathleen. Hates. Me. Elliot!"

"Are you done?" Elliot asked, folding his arms.

"Yeah," Olivia said, biting her bottom lip and nodding. She walked over to the bookcase, starting to rifle through papers and scrapbooks.

Elliot scratched his chin and sighed. "You said Kathleen hates you three times," he said, a verbal observation.

"That's what's pissing me off the most," Olivia said, tossing books onto the floor. "I'm hurt, El. I don't wanna cause problems with you and your kids and now that I already have, I want to leave, ya know? Give you some space. Give _her_ some space. I can't do that now, Mister-lets-tear-down-the-wall."

"Damn right you can't," Elliot said, stepping closer to her. "I don't want space, Liv. And I told you, Katie will deal with this. If you leave, she'll think she's won, and I'll lose you because you won't come back. I don't...I can't live with that. I can't live without you, Liv."

Olivia sighed and shook her head. "There's nothing here, El," she said, tossing a book onto the desk. She shot him a soft look and said, "I heard you, I swear. And I know all of that. It just...hurts."

"I know it does, Liv," Elliot told her. "She's hurting me, too."

Olivia nodded, biting her lip again. "What are we missing?" she asked, trying to get back to the case. She looked around and shrugged. "This guy's good."

"Liv?" Elliot brushed the loose hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear.

Olivia looked at him, looking into his eyes. "What?"

"You're not doubting us, are you? Doubting me?" Elliot asked, whispering. "You told me you didn't wanna run from this, Liv. Are you changing your mind?"

Olivia closed her eyes for a moment and said, "No, El. I'm not doubting you, or us, I...it just, it happened so damn fast! Kathleen's not ready. But I am. For the first time in my life, El, I'm ready! I just don't wanna hurt your daughter." She sighed and blinked. "I really don't want to hurt her."

Elliot scoffed and gestured widely with his hands. "And this is one of the reasons why I love you," he said. "You always put yourself last, you selfless, loving, giving, wonderful woman."

Olivia chuckled, a real laugh this time, and shook her head. "I _should _come after your kids, El," she said.

"No, Liv, you and my kids," Elliot told her, "Are equally important in my life." He furrowed his brow, looked upward, in thought, and said, "Maybe this guy felt the same. He's keeping the pictures of the kids in his bedroom," he said, running into the master suite. Olivia followed him, hoping they'd crack their case and go the hell home.

After a rough interrogation, where Olivia almost out-shined Elliot as the angry-violent-aggressive-cop, they finally pulled into the parking space in their building. "Oh, wonderful," Olivia mumbled, seeing a U-Haul truck outside, bringing furniture into the building.

Elliot got out and opened the door for Olivia, then watched as she stepped over the coffee table the movers were carrying and into through the door. He laughed, but waited until the movers were done before following her. He finally caught up to her and was stunned to find her being hugged by a man in a suit. An older man, in a nice suit. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," the man said, pushing away from her. "I just, uh, I got busy. You know how it is."

Olivia nodded, and looked desperately at Elliot. "El," she said, "Look who's moving into the building."

"What, uh, what apartment?" Elliot asked, trying to smile.

"Three-D," Olivia said. "Isn't that just...wonderful? He's gonna be...right downstairs. From both of us. More me, than you. Since I'm in Four-D and you're in Four-F," she said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Elliot cleared his throat. "Well, that'll be convenient, at least, right?" he asked, again, faking joy. "You'll always know where we are."

"And what we're doing," Olivia added.

"Why, uh, I mean, is everything...why are you moving in?" Elliot asked.

The man folded his arms and said, "It's amazingly affordable, closer to the station, and I was informed that I might need to keep an eye on you two."

"What?" Olivia asked, shocked. "Why? Cap, we're not doing anything..."

"You have a stalker," Cragen said. "He, or she, lives in this building. So aside from me liking the apartment, and loving the price, I can find out who it is and protect my two best detectives."

Cragen slapped Elliot on the shoulder, then waved to Olivia as he followed movers and his couch up the stairs.

"Well, at least he's not under our bedroom," Elliot said.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a small smirk.

"Though, he is gonna wonder why you're blasting Paramore, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Daughtry," Elliot said, chuckling. "We should probably tell Maureen to keep it down."

"Probably," Olivia said, laughing. "Come on, El. I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I really...why are you looking at me like that?"

"When you're tired and cranky, you get really...violent, Liv," Elliot said, smirking. "I love when you're violent."

Olivia yanked on his tie and said, "I'll race you to the bedroom. If you win, we'll see if we can't get the rest of your body as happy as this tie."

"And if I lose?" Elliot asked, his voice low and his eyes dark.

Olivia shrugged. "We'll do it anyway," she said. They were still, silent, for a moment before they took off running. They knew it was risky now, with Cragen in the building, but as long as they were strategic, careful, they could keep their relationship a secret from their captain, friend, and neighbor. Maybe.

**A/N: What does Casey do when she finds out the cameras are gone? Does Cragen already know about Olivia and Elliot? What problem does Kathleen cause for Olivia that might make her run? Want to know? Click that button down there and tell me! Much love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A breakfast to remember thanks to Kathleen. Do Olivia and Elliot risk everything by living above Cragen? Casey opens her big mouth in front of the wrong person, or so they think.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Dickie," Olivia yelled through the bathroom door, "Honey, I got the syrup out. Sweetie, your jacket's fine, you can come out of there."

"No," she heard the young twin boy say. "If I come out, then she'll only throw more pancakes at me!"

Olivia sighed. "Dickie, she was aiming for me," she said sadly. "You just got in the way."

"I took a pancake bullet for you, Liv," Dickie said, opening the door slowly. "like my dad takes real ones for you."

Kathleen scoffed. "If he was a smarter man, he'd just let her get shot. Make the world a better place."

Elliot heard that and growled, not even having to look at Olivia to see the expression on her face. He could picture it. He yelled, "Damn it, Kathleen! You really don't know when to quit! That had to be the most insensitive thing you have ever said! Apologize, right now!"

"No!" Kathleen yelled back. "She's the one who needs to apologize! Coming in here, acting like our goddamned mother! Olivia's not our mother, Dad! She never will be! God, when will you realize that we don't need her?"

"I need her, Kathleen!" Elliot barked, loudly. "I need Olivia, more than you could possibly know! I've needed her since the moment I met her! Loved her since the moment I met her! You just have to make it difficult now that I have her! Now that I'm allowed to have her, you…shit, we're all gonna be late, and Liv and I are covered in syrup and butter thanks to you! Do you even think before you do things?"

Kathleen smirked evilly. "No, Dad. I don't. You clearly didn't think before hopping into bed with your partner, so it's a trait I inherited from you." She grabbed her book-bag and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Maureen, stunned, cleared her throat and said, "For the record, I think you're gonna be an amazing mother, and I can't wait until we can actually call you that."

"Me either," replied Dickie, who was buttoning up the jacket that Olivia had scrubbed for him.

Lizzie looked up at Olivia, who had syrup in her hair. "Can we just call you 'Mom' now, if we…okay, that look you're giving me means 'no', huh?"

Olivia swallowed and blinked. She was stunned. "You can, um, do whatever you want, Lizzie," she said, smiling softly at the young girl.

Elliot softened. He looked at his children as if they had just given him the secret to the universe. In a way, they had. He felt his heart swell as he said, "That's really great of you, guys," and kissed his three remaining children on their foreheads. "Go, you're gonna be late." He watched Olivia hand them each a brown-paper-bagged lunch, even giving Maureen one for Kathleen. He watched the three kids kiss Olivia on the cheek as they left, then he wrapped his arms around her. "How about them, huh?" he asked her, kissing the syrup off her.

"Yeah," Olivia said, still upset, and now, a little scared. "They're really…something," she said, scratching bits of dried pancake off of his shirt.

"Ugh," Elliot spat, rolling his eyes and moving back toward the sink, "I love Kathleen, but how the hell are we supposed to explain this to Cragen?" he asked, yelling again, scrubbing his tie. "Tell him we got into a food fight in the car?"

Downstairs, confused but not surprised, Cragen picked up his coat and walked out of his new apartment. They didn't have to explain anything. He'd heard it all.

* * *

"Okay," Munch said, huffing, throwing the file down on his desk. "I can't work when it smells like Dale's Waffle House in here!"

Olivia sighed, running a hand through her hair. ""Ya know, Munch, I have enough on my mind without listening to your complaining, okay?"

"Damn, Baby-Girl," Fin said, shocked, "What's got your handcuffs squeezed too tight?"

Olivia glared at him, getting out of her seat. "Nothing," she spat, walking over to the coffee table. She poured a cup, her fourth in as many hours, and stood at the table, drinking it, black.

Elliot was pained as he witnessed this. He knew what was wrong, and he honestly didn't know how to make it better. "Liv, you might wanna ease up on Munch's coffee. You wanna live to see tomorrow," he said, attempting a joke.

"It's the closest I can get to whiskey right now, El," Olivia retorted, pouring yet another cup.

"Hey, Benson," Munch said, turning in his seat, "Does this have anything to do with this guy you're seeing?"

"Guy?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Munch nodded. "I know the dumbass A.D.A thinks you're with Stabler, which is just stupid, but I know that there's a guy, Olivia. You've got all the classic symptoms. Sparkling eyes, a bounce in your step, you're dressing up a bit, wearing makeup, and the most obvious of which is you not being so irritable lately. Well, until now."

"There's no guy, Munch," Olivia said, shaking her head and tossing away her cup. "I spend twenty hours a day with you people. If I was dating anyone, at least one of you would know."

Elliot shot her a look, one she returned, and he tried to smile at her. He saw her attempting to smile back at him. The fact that she was trying, at all, for him, was enough.

Olivia's phone rang, then, and she picked it up with an annoyed sounding, "Special Victims, Detective Benson." She paused, gave Elliot a wary look, and then said, "No, um, I'll be right down. No, thank you for calling. Just tell her to stay calm, and I'm on my way." She hung up, grabbed Elliot's keys, and left, shouting "Tell Cragen I'll be back," over her shoulder.

"I need those…what?" Elliot stuttered. "Liv? Liv?"

Casey Novak walked in, looking over her shoulder. "Where's she going?" she asked, referring to Olivia.

"Good question," Elliot said, scratching his still-slightly-sticky chin.

Casey smirked at Elliot and said, "I just came from a meeting with Sergeant Tucker."

Elliot's eyes narrowed. "What? Why?" he asked, it came out cold. Cruel.

"He wanted to, uh, talk to me," Casey said as explanation, not wanting to tell Elliot about the non-existent case she'd been yelled at for, or the unnecessary surveillance of Elliot and Olivia she'd been doing. "Ya know, he wasn't that surprised to hear of your little arrangement with Olivia."

Fin gasped. "Novak," he spat. "You told Tucker?"

Munch slapped a hand against his forehead. "That was so stupid," he said. "Novak, we were just messing with you! They're not really married! You just destroyed their careers! How could you…"

"He said he knew," Casey interrupted, furrowing her brow. "He said he knew, and as long as it didn't affect their work, he was fine with it. It's Cragen he'd like to keep a few things from."

"He knew?" Munch asked, suddenly looking at Elliot curiously. "What could Tucker possibly know, Elliot?"

Elliot ran a hand over his face. "There's nothing to know!" he yelled. "I don't know what the hell...Novak, look. I'm ending this. Right now. Casey," he said, through gritted teeth, "Olivia and I are not married. We aren't even…anything, and you have to leave us the hell alone! She only said she was married when you met her because you were hitting on her, Novak, and she's very, very much, incredibly straight! You made her nervous and she said the first thing she could think of that would get you to leave her the hell alone! Do us both a favor, and just do that, would you?"

Casey's eyes widened. Olivia had lied to her? That didn't make sense. No, they were married, she was sure of it, and they were going through great lengths to hide it. There was evidence all over her apartment, the one they now shared. "If nothing's going on between the two of you, then why…"

"Stabler," Cragen called from his office, almost angry but not quite, "Get down to your kids' school. Now."

"What?" Elliot asked, panicked. "Why, Cap?"

Cragen stepped out. "I don't know why, but your partner just called me, telling me where she was and not to tell you to go down there, which I can only assume means it's something bad!"

Elliot leaped up and then realized, "Olivia took my keys!"

* * *

Elliot ran into the front doors of Trinity Prep, thanks to Munch dropping him off, and began barreling through the halls. He ran into the main office and saw Olivia through the glass paneled principal's office door. Kathleen was sitting in the chair in front of the principal's desk, crying, and Olivia had her interrogation face on. He couldn't hear her, but he knew she was angry. He watched as Olivia rested her hand on Kathleen's shoulder, and was stunned when he saw Kathleen place her hand over Olivia's. He squinted, as the principal spoke, trying to read lips. He discerned the words "understand," "sorry," "stepmother," "divorce," and "detention."

Kathleen stood up and threw her arms around Olivia. Tears were streaming down her face and Elliot saw her saying, "I'm so sorry," over and over.

Olivia pulled Kathleen into her arms, trying to calm her down. Olivia looked toward the door and her eyes widened. They closed, then opened, slowly, and met Elliot's slightly swollen and puffy blue eyes. He was crying. She led Kathleen out of the office, and the girl gasped when she saw her father.

"I asked Olivia not to tell you!" Kathleen sobbed.

"She didn't," Elliot said, softly. "Cragen did, now you wanna tell me what's going on, Kat?"

Kathleen took a breath. "I yelled at my math teacher," she admitted, "And I may have possibly thrown a beaker of a fluoride solution at my chemistry teacher."

"Why on Earth would you do that?" Elliot asked, running a hand over his face, trying to stay calm so as to keep Kathleen from crying again.

Kathleen shrugged.

Olivia brushed Kathleen's hair back. "I told the principal she was having a hard time adjusting to the changes at home. Your divorce, our relationship, the move. And now the damn principal thinks I'm her new mommy. But he said he understands perfectly. What would have been two weeks suspension was cut down to two days' detention," she explained. "As long as she doesn't let her personal issues affect her in class again, she'll be fine."

"She was amazing, Dad! I've never seen anyone talk to Mister Cruthers like that," Kathleen said. "She even…she called me her daughter."

"When did I do that?" Olivia asked, shocked.

Kathleen looked up at her, sniffled, and asked, "You don't remember?"

"Katie, I was just talking," Olivia said, really trying to remember. "I was trying to get you out of trouble and keep you calm. I was just saying what I felt, I don't remember half of what I said in there."

"You said, 'My daughter may be a lot of things, Mister Cruthers, but incorrigible is not one of them,'" Kathleen said, imitatin Olivia as best she could. "And then you explained what…you just explained."

Elliot looked up at Olivia and smiled. "That could be why he thinks we're married, Liv."

"Let him think it," Kathleen said, surprising her father and Olivia. "Close enough to the truth anyway, right?"

Elliot kissed Kathleen's forehead, closing his eyes. "Yeah, honey," he said. "Close enough."

"Go back to class, Katie," Olivia said, "And apologize to your teachers!"

Kathleen nodded and gave Olivia a small smile. "Okay, Liv," she said. She walked out of the main office and down the hall, feeling better than she had in a long time.

"Liv," Elliot said, sighing, grabbing her hand, "Thank you. I don't know why she called you…"

"You would have yelled at her," Olivia interrupted, smirking.

Elliot laughed. "Probably," he said. "You're amazing."

"Yeah," Olivia said, grinning. "I am pretty amazing, huh?"

"Oh, look at you go with the Stabler attitude!" Elliot chuckled. "Speaking of, uh, Stabler attitude, I yelled at Casey."

"What?" Olivia asked, wide-eyed.

"I told her the truth," Elliot said, "Only after she told me she told Tucker that we…"

"She told Tucker?" Olivia spat. "That's all we need!"

Elliot bit his bottom lip. "Liv, he told her he knew."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "How the hell could Tucker possibly know? Is he gonna…"

"No," Elliot interrupted. "He said as long as we don't let it interfere with work, we'll be okay, and from what I understand, he's not gonna tell Cragen."

"Elliot," Olivia said, taking his hand and leading him out of the school, "I think Cragen's gonna find out soon enough. You'd be surprised how thin the walls, and floors, of our building really are."

Elliot smirked at her. "No one's home now, baby," he said, walking faster.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you telling me you want to go home and…"

"No friends or neighbors there to hear us or watch us," Elliot cut her off. "No kids in the house forcing us to be quiet. We can take an extra hour, Liv," he said, turning her to face him. "I wanna celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Olivia asked, smiling.

Elliot kissed her, slowly, and said, "Katie coming to her goddamned senses, and you loving her enough to come down here, even though she's been treating you like shit."

"She's probably still gonna treat me like shit, El," Olivia said. "I did her a favor, that's why she was nice. We had a moment, that's all. Trust me, tomorrow she'll hate me again. I know what it's like to have to live with someone when you think they're taking away your parent…"

"Taking me away?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "Liv, you've really given me back to them, whether you believe or not." He kissed her again and opened the door to his car, preparing to take her home for a quick round in their bed.

They were completely unaware of the spying eyes watching them, smirking. They were completely unaware of the car following them out of the parking lot. And they were completely unaware that the person following them, was being followed, too.

**A/N: Who's following them? Who's following their follower? And does Cragen get an earful tonight, after work? Probably! Want it? It could be a lil' smutlet…or a big one…if you review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Who was following them? Who was following their follower? And does Cragen get an earful tonight, after work? Read on, faithful readers! That was redundant, o..O And thanks to my pal Laura, for lending Elliot her fantasy ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

Elliot had just finished taking a shower, he was wrapped in his towel, standing in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom, and he was flummoxed. There was music playing, but no one was in the bedroom. He listened to the lyrics, and the guitar riffing and asked, "Poison? Seriously?" He walked over to the bed and sat down on it, shaking his head. When he heard a throat clear behind him, he turned, and his jaw dropped. "That has to be the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen in my entire life," he uttered to himself, but she heard him, and he knew it.

Olivia, standing in the doorway leading to the hallway, gave him a sultry smirk. "Kids are spending the night with Kathy," she said, trailing a finger down the front of the oversized, white, Oxford shirt she was wearing. It was his. It was the only thing she was wearing.

"Yep," Elliot said, realizing his brain had become absolute mush.

Olivia smirked wider, stepping into the bedroom. She undid the top button, the collar, and started humming along with the music. She took two more slow steps, unbuttoning two more buttons, and sang, "Then I know you like it, too. The way that I want you…"

Elliot gulped, seeing the look in her eyes, watching her move in his shirt. He kicked his legs up on the bed and grinned as Olivia climbed on it, on her knees, and grabbed his towel, tossing it over her, behind her head, sinking it into the hamper without even looking. "Oh, you're good," he whispered to her, narrowing his eyes with a smirk.

Olivia nodded slightly and kept singing, unbuttoning the middle three buttons of the shirt. "…just to see you, and I know you cannot wait, wait to see me, too. I gotta touch you," she sang as she moved, slinky, over him, licking a trail from just above his incredibly hard member all the way up to his neck. He made noises she'd never heard him make before. She grinned as she sat up, on him, straddling him, and unbuttoned the bottom three buttons. She watched the fire flicker in Elliot's eyes, the anticipation, the need to take control and the will-power he was using to let her do her thing and not grab her, most evident though, was the love. She flicked the last button, and let the shirt fall open as she whispered, with the music, "Talk dirty to me."

"You are dirty enough already, you little minx," Elliot teased through gritted teeth as he tried to restrain himself from touching her. He wanted to see where she was going, what she would do next.

Olivia smirked, took his hands, and brought them up to her stomach, placing them on her skin. Elliot took that as permission and slid the white cotton off of her body, almost completely, then he stopped and looked at her with a evil glare. "What?" she asked, mildly afraid.

"Leave it on," Elliot said, pulling her down to him. He took a nipple in his mouth, biting and sucking, as he moved her back down and over him, positioning himself at her entrance. "How'd you know?" he asked, running his hands over and under the cotton, pushing himself into her.

Olivia moaned and threw her head back, and when she could, she looked at him. "Heard you talking to Fin," she muttered, biting her lip.

"You heard me tell Fin that my ultimate fantasy was my girlfriend wearing nothing but my shirt seducing me, baby, we were in the locker room," Elliot moaned, kissing her neck and pushing further into her with a few grunts. "You weren't there. i would have known if you were there."

Olivia smirked and dug her nails into his shoulders when he stretched her, the way he always did, the way to which she still hadn't adjusted, and said, "I'm a ninja, El."

"Apparently," Elliot groaned, finally sheathing himself completely, letting his eyes close as he reveled in the feeling.

Olivia peppered his neck and chest with kisses as she waited for him to move. As she paid special attention to one spot she mumbled, "You told Fin you had a girlfriend."

"Had to," Elliot said, moving slowly, feeling the shirt under one hand and Olivia's smooth skin beneath the other. "He saw the hickeys all over me when I changed."

Olivia chuckled as she let go of the bottom of his pec with a pop. "There's another one for ya."

"Oh, shit, Liv," Elliot groaned, watching her move on top of him, feeling himself move within her, feeling the emotions flying between them along with their physical sensations. It was a bit intense, and he wasn't sure how quiet they could be. He grabbed her hips and flipped her over, growling, "Damn, baby."

Olivia laughed, moaned, and yelped at the same time, wrapping her legs around him. Elliot hit into her deeper and she threw her head back into the pillow. "God, Elliot," she moaned, slowly.

"See what happens when you eavesdrop, Liv?" Elliot teased, pounding harder. Olivia groaned his name louder, forgetting all about the man living right downstairs, who, through his heating vents, could hear everything.

* * *

Cragen was trying to ignore the noises he was hearing, trying to convince himself it was another Elliot and Olivia. He shook his head and continued the phone call. "No, Ed, I'm not going to…you swear it was her? You did? All the way to the school, back to their apartment, back to work? Photos? That'll help. Do you know why she's…married? No, no, they're not married, they're not even together. At least I don't think so. I hope not."

He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as another "Oh, my fucking God, Elliot," roared through his vent. He thanked that same God that Ed couldn't hear them through the phone.

"What?" he asked, his attention back on the phone call. "No, he just moved in next door. It's an affordable building. Um, I'm not…yeah, I did. That's why. You're not telling me anything I didn't already have suspicions about, Ed. I'll keep an eye on her, but send those photos to McCoy. Maybe he can transfer her out of Sex Crimes. Well, I don't know, seeing as how she's dead and all, no, Alex can't come back!"

* * *

From her room, Casey Novak, annoyed that there were no more cameras, had to strain to hear it, but she could. She could picture Olivia's face, the look in her eyes, the curl of her lips. She could, if she tried hard enough, see them changing positions, moving as one, beautiful being. She moaned at the thoughts swimming in her head. She rolled her eyes back as she let the fantasy carry her away. She smirked at the promise she made herself, that she would make them an offer tomorrow. An offer no man in his right mind would refuse, and an offer that Olivia, if she wanted to make him happy, would accept without a second thought.

She rolled over onto her back, flattening out on her carpet, still listening intently through the crack beneath her door. "Fuck, Liv," she heard Elliot grunt. "Oh, God. Elliot! Right there, baby," she heard Olivia's voice cry, almost pleading. She listened as their voices grew louder, more desperate. The noises she heard could be misconstrued as pain, some of them sounded so violent, so if she were to bust in on them, she could always say she thought they needed help. She chuckled at the thought and closed her eyes, listening to the heightened gasps and moans, and the two loud, very violent, cries that seemed to happen simultaneously. She moaned softly to herself, trying to imagine what that must have felt like, but she knew she wasn't even coming close.

* * *

"God, El," Olivia moaned, digging her nails into his back, "So close, baby," she whimpered. "Don't stop."

"Not stopping," Elliot panted, moving hard. "Jesus Christ, Liv," he cried, hitting hard into her, feeling her clench around him for the third and final time. "So good, baby. Cum for me, baby," he encouraged.

"Oh, God, yes!" she yelled, snapping her head up and pulling his head down to hers, crashing their lips together.

Elliot grunted loudly, moaned and groaned wildly, muffled only by her kiss, as he shot inside of her.

"Holy shit," Olivia breathed, trying to calm down, but failing, as she vibrated around him and shook lightly.

Elliot kissed her softly, running his hands over her shirt-covered torso. "Fucking hell, baby," he mumbled. "That was…"

"Yeah, it was," Olivia nodded breathlessly.

Elliot chuckled. "I love how you knew what I was I gonna say."

"I didn't," Olivia admitted. "But any word that you think could have possibly followed that, I agree with."

Elliot laughed again, kissed her neck and rolled them over. He rolled his eyes back in satisfaction. It was then that he noticed the vent above their bed. "Oh, we are so fucked," he mumbled, still out of breath, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, we are," Olivia chuckled.

"No, Liv, I think Cragen heard us," Elliot said, brushing her hair back. "We were, uh, pretty vocal."

Olivia shot her head up, looked at the vent, then looked at Elliot. "That's not a good thing," she said, paling.

"Maybe he wasn't home," Elliot rationalized.

"You think the captain has a social life?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow. "We don't even have one! Think about it, El. We're partners, so technically this is just bringing work home with us! It's easier than trying to actually date other people! not that I would want to. Ever."

Elliot thought about it. "Okay so he was home and he heard us. He fucking heard us."

"Or heard us fucking," Olivia said with a sarcastic chuckle.

"That, too," Elliot laughed, kissing her. "So, uh, he knows then."

Olivia pressed her lips together. "Let's just act like we don't know he knows. We'll tell him, eventually, but I refuse to believe that Cragen just heard us having sex. I really just wanna pretend he didn't hear us." She shuddered and blinked.

"I see your point," Elliot said, nodding in understanding, "And as long as you feel that way..." he trailed off, tugging at the white shirt's collar, pulling her back up for a long kiss. "We can pretend he's not gonna hear it again."

**A/N: What will Cragen do when they get to work in the morning? What will Ed Tucker do about Casey's following Olivia and Elliot? What offer is Casey planning on making, and will she get the chance to make it? And what does Simon think of all of this? Click the button, leave a review, and find out! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Cragen deals with what he heard above his head; A conversation with Tucker; Casey's proposal.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story. Every little piece of it. **

Olivia and Elliot walked into the squadroom, on time, with coffee, and sat down, purposely ignoring Cragen's red faced stare. Elliot glanced at Olivia, smirked, and booted up his computer.

"Hey," Fin said, walking into the bullpen. "I think you guys are in a little bit of trouble."

"What?" Olivia asked, scared. "Why?"

Fin threw his jacket over the back of his chair and said, "I saw Tucker downstairs. He told me to tell you he wants to see you. His office. Now."

Elliot looked at Olivia, who returned his worry, and stood. Olivia got up, too, and sighed as they walked out.

Cragen watched them go, concerned, and trying hard not to hear the moaning and screaming replaying in his mind. Ten minutes later, they were at One, Police Plaza, searching for the IAB Sergeant.

"Ed?" Elliot called into Tucker's open office. "Hello?"

"He's not here," Olivia said. "Let's just..." she was cut off when Elliot spun her around and kissed her.

Olivia pushed him away gently and glared at him. "In Tucker's office, El? You are not a smart man," she said.

"Never said I was," Elliot said with a smirk, leaning in for another kiss. "Casey said he knows," he whispered, brushing his lips against hers. "What does it matter now?" He pressed his lips to hers and she was powerless to stop it.

"It doesn't," Tucker said, coming in nonchalantly, as if their kissing was a normal occurrence.

Olivia pulled away from Elliot, embarrassed. "Hi," she said quickly, wiping the corners of her lips.

"Relax," Tucker chuckled, "I didn't call you in here to reprimand you for whatever this is," he said, waving an arm at them.

Elliot glared, looking evilly at him, and said, "What the hell was that supposed to.."

"Stabler, calm the hell down, would ya?" Tucker asked harshly, "I was trying to just dismiss this. I don't wanna make either of you uncomfortable, and if we don't talk about it we can all pretend it is't happening. It hasn't affected your work, yet, but when it does, you know the rules, you know what'll happen."

"So why are we here?" Olivia asked, mildly relieved.

Tucker cleared his throat. "I called you down here to tell you that disciplinary still has to be taken, not against you, but against your A.D.A."

"Casey Novak? Why?" Olivia asked, slightly shocked that Tucker had let go the implications of their relationship and changed the subject so quickly.

"She's been watching you a little too closely," Tucker said. "She followed you yesterday, and I think..."

"Hold on," Elliot said, holding up a hand. "Followed us?"

Tucker nodded. "Yeah, Elliot, followed you. To your daughter's school, back to your apartment, she even followed you insiade, followed you out, and tailed you back here. I've got proof. I'm telling you because I'm not sure what she's capable of, and..."

"You think we're in some kind of danger?" Olivia interjected, folding her arms, choosing annoyance over fear. "You think she's trying to hurt us?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Tucker said. "Until I do, however, want you two to be careful. Watch your backs, and know that we're doing the same thing. I may hate your professional actions and decisions sometimes, but I don't hate you. I can't hate you." He looked at Olivia, his face telling her that he was hiding something. "I'm not gonna let her hurt you," he said, concern and determination dripping from his words.

Elliot nodded. "Thanks, Ed," he said, holding out his hand.

Tucker shook it and replied, "That's what family's for," he said, then he opened his eyes wide and stuttered, "Because...th-that's what w-we are, cops, brothers, family."

"Right," Elliot said, giving Tucker a curious look, then he took Olivia's hand and led her back out of the building, heading back to their own precinct. There was something odd about Tucker's behavior, and he was going to find out what it was.

They got back to the squadroom, and had a very awkward interaction with Cragen as he handed them their assignment. "Victim at Mercy," the aging captain said, not making eye-contact with either detective. "Go. Be careful," he said, turning and walking into his office.

Olivia looked at Elliot knowingly. "Maybe we should have been a bit quieter," she whispered to him as they walked out.

Elliot laughed. "Liv, I wouldn't have been able to stay quiet," he said. "Seeing you in my shirt, with the things you were doing and saying, the way you were moving, damn, just thinking about it..."

"Stop," Olivia warned, pushing him back as they stepped into the elevator. "Fin knows you have a girlfriend and he probably thinks it's me, Cragen obviously thinks we're going for some kind of sexual world record, Tucker was unusually nice to us because he's pretty sure we're sleeping together, I don't need to have the elevator security tape proving that everyone is right."

Elliot laughed and shook his head. A moment of silence passed between them, and then he laughed again.

"What now?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot chook his head and chuckled under his breath. "Cragen, avoiding us and blushing, stuttering, that was fucking funny." He looked at Olivia. "He couldn't even look at you, Liv!"

"This isn't funny," Olivia said, pressing her lips together, trying not to laugh. She had to admit, Cragen looked quite funny. "El, this is like...God, I feel like my father caught me having sex in his bed!"

"We weren't in his bed," Elliot said, pointing a corrective finger. "And he's not your father."

"You know what I...oh, nice, El, deflecting," Olivia chuckled. "I'll change the subject," she sighed, discreetly brushing her hand against his, needing the contact. "When do we have to take Maureen back to school?"

"Tomorrow," Elliot sighed. "It was nice, ya know? Having her home," he said, twirling the car keys around his finger as they walked off the elevator.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "She doesn't hate me," she scoffed.

Elliot opened the car door for her and said, "Katie doesn't hate you! Liv, after what you did..."

"El," Olivia interrupted, getting in, "You'll see. When she comes back home, after spending time with her mother who's only been bad-mouthing me to your kids, she's going to..."

"She's not," Elliot said, getting in on his side, handing her his cell phone. "Listen to the third message on my voicemail."

Olivia cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "I love that you gave me your password before we were even together."

"You have the PIN number to my ATM card, too, baby," Elliot said, starting the car. "I trust you. Completely. And doing those things, I was trying to prove you can trust me."

"I do trust you," Olivia said, smiling.

Elliot took her hand and looked into her eyes. "Then trust me on this," he begged. "She's not going to treat you like shit anymore. Just listen to the message." He kissed her lips quickly, then pulled out of the lot heading toward Mercy General Hospital.

Olivia listened to the message as Elliot drove, and what Kathleen was saying nearly moved her to tears. The girl had been raving about how wrong she was about Olivia, and to send Olivia her love, and that she missed both of them and couldn't wait to come home.

"See?" Elliot mouthed to her, smiling.

Olivia nodded. She flipped the phone closed and handed it back to him.

"They love you, baby," Elliot said, referring to his kids. "All of them."

* * *

"It is so good to be home," Dickie said, barreling through the apartment, into his room.

Elliot yawned and nodded. "You can say that again," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I'm exhausted."

"I wonder why," Olivia quipped. "We didn't get a lot of...any sleep." She laughed at the look on his face and headed into Maureen's room. "You all packed?" she asked, smoothing the tall blonde's hair back.

Maureen nodded. "Yeah, but I'm only going back to take my finals. I'm...I have to talk to Dad, but...I wanna transfer to NYU."

"What? Why?" Olivia asked, stunned. Maureen was proud of herself, getting into Penn State was huge for her.

Maureen sighed. "Liv, I only went away to school to get away from my parents. The fighting, the tension, the fact that he was denying...I knew he was in love with you, and you with him, and the fact that neither of you could admit it, it made him impossible to live with. I didn't want to be around any of it anymore. Now that things are...things are right, I wanna stay home. With you and Dad."

"Oh, Mo, I don't...that's so..." Olivia tried to find the words, but couldn't.

Maureen simply gave Olivia a hard hug. "Thank you for being who you are, Liv," she said.

"I'll second that," Kathleen said from Maureen's bedroom door.

"Third," Elliot's voice called into the room.

Maureen and Olivia pulled apart, looked at the door, and laughed. Olivia moved toward Elliot, but before she could kiss him, there was a knock on their door. Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her into the living room, opening the door. He instinctively moved in front of Olivia, heeding Tucker's warning, and closed the door, leaving it only open enough to speak through. "What is it, Casey?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you two wanted to come over for dinner, some drinks," Casey said, trying to edge her way into the apartment.

"It's almost midnight, Casey," Elliot said, irritated. "We ate."

"So just drinks then," Casey said. She put her palm on the door and pushed, opening it further. "I would like to talk to you both about something...rather personal."

"We can't leave the kids, I'm tired, Liv's tired, and we have to take a pretty long drive tomorrow. So just...what is it?" Elliot asked, signaling, behind his back, for Olivia to hand him his gun. He felt the cold metal slip into his hand and he let out a sigh of relief.

Until Casey spoke.

"I'd like to...well this is really not something I wanted to just come out and ask you," Casey said. "But...I'd like to know if...one night, when your kids are all out of the house, and you weren't busy...if you'd let me watch."

"Watch?" Olivia asked, hoping that it wasn't what she'd been thinking.

"Watch what, Novak?" Elliot asked, fingering the Glock in his hand. Just in case.

Casey's eyes sparkled as the thought came to complete fruition in her mind. "I think you know. I want to watch. Watch you two. I hear you, I think the whole building does, but it, uh...wasn't enough. Think about it. I promise, you'll enjoy it almost as much as I will."

Olivia looked at Elliot, feeling nauseous. Elliot looked back at her, grim amusement on his face. They both looked at Casey, as if she was nuts.

"Really, just...think about it. Let me know. I'll see you in court on Monday. You both had better be prepared. For everything." She smirked at them and walked away.

Elliot closed the door, locking it, and pulled out his cell phone.

"Who are you calling at this time of night?" Olivia asked, trying to tug him toward the bedroom.

Elliot kissed her quickly and said, "Tucker."

**A/N: Something happens on the way to Penn State, but what? Will Tucker ever tell Olivia the truth about his relationship with her and Simon? Will Cragen get over what he heard, or will he need to take action against it to stop it? Click that lil' button, and lemme know if you want it or not! Or follow TMG212 on Twitter. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: The drive to Penn State to drop off Maureen brings some surprises.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story. Every little piece of it.**

"So we have everything?" Olivia asked, tossing a few of Maureen's bags into the SUV.

"Yeah," Elliot replied.

"Okay, then," Olivia said. "Oh, shit, did you tell Cragen I was..."

"Yes," Elliot said, chuckling. "I told Cragen you were taking the ride with me, so we could just get right to work when we come home."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "You should just tell him," she said. "He's like your father, he's not gonna be that pissed, is he?"

"You have no idea," Elliot said, getting into the driver's seat. "The other kids are in school, and then they're staying at Fin's, so we don't have anything to worry about right now."

Maureen and Olivia got into the car, closed the doors, buckled their seatbelts, and leaned back as Elliot turned on the radio and turned the key, heading for the highway.

* * *

"Good morning," Ed Tucker said, walking into the Special Victims Unit's sqaudroom. "Where are Benson and Stabler?"

Fin looked up, rolled his eyes, and said, "Man, you can't leave 'em alone can you? What are you tryin' to jam 'em up with now?"

"For your information, Tutuola, I'm trying to help them this time," Tucker said, his eyes narrow. "I'm not a complete douchebag!"

"The jury's still out on that one," Munch said, drinking his coffee.

"Can you two just tell me where they are?" Tucker asked, folding his arms.

Munch sighed. "Taking the eldest Stabler back to school. They'll be back in a few hours."

"Shit," Tucker spat. "Is Cragen in his office?" he asked.

Fin nodded and pointed. "Yeah," he said. "Just out of curiosity, since when is helping them something you do?"

Tucker sighed. "Since always, Tutuola. When they give me problems, I give them hell. This is their safety, it's personal, not professional. God, do you all think I'm some kind of monster?"

"Not a monster," Munch said. "Just a rat."

Tucker rolled his eyes and headed for Cragen's office, knocking on the door, deciding that convincing them he wasn't an ass was fruitless.

Cragen opened the door and sighed, instantly knowing what this was about, and let Tucker in.

* * *

"Does she always sleep during long car rides?" Elliot asked, glancing toward Maureen, asleep in the back.

"She's your daughter, and you don't know?" Olivia scoffed.

"Usually I'm watching out for three other kids, Liv!" Elliot defended. "Lizzie and Dickie argue constantly, Kathleen sings and dances with her stupid headphones on..."

"Yes," Olivia interrupted. "She does. She usually always falls asleep if she's in the car for more than twenty minutes."

Elliot smirked. "I love that you know that," he said. "I love that you know everything about the kids, and everything about me. I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too, El," Olivia said, smiling at him.

Elliot turned off the interstate, down the road toward the university. "Did, uh, Maureen tell you she wants to move back home and go to NYU?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I don't know why she felt she had to tell me. It's not like I..."

"We kind of Bogarted your apartment," Elliot said, shrugging. "We live together, we're in a...what I think is a pretty serious relationship, she thinks of you as her...stepmother, I guess. She wanted you to be a part of the decision."

Olivia smiled to herself as she looked out the window. "Yeah, she probably shouldn't do that."

"Do what, baby?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow.

"Think of me like that," Olivia said with a sigh. "First Katie's principal, then Maureen, I...don't want to get their hopes up. It's just setting them up for disappointment."

"Why the hell...what the fuck does that mean?" Elliot asked, his heart pounding. She was not gonna break up them in the middle of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Was she?

Olivia looked at him and said, "El, what if you decide...ya know what, forget it, I don't wanna do this right now."

"Well, I do," Elliot said, his voice a little shaky. "Are you leaving me?"

"What? No!" Olivia gasped. "If anyone's leaving...it's you," she said, her voice softening. "Isn't it?"

"Why the hell would I leave you, Liv?" Elliot asked, his voice taking on a concerned and worried tone.

Olivia sighed. "I can't...God, El, the thought has been in the back of my mind since you told me that you loved me. I can't help feeling like, someday, you're gonna get tired of this and you're gonna go back to Kathy. You've done it before, ya know."

"Liv, where...what are you talking about? I am never going back to Kathy! Get tired of what?" Elliot asked, needing to understand, needing to change her mind.

"El, we can't tell anyone about this. It sucks that our friends are fucking clueless but our neighbors know more than they should. You really wanna hide this from people? You really want to have to sacrifice..."

"I would do anything for you," Elliot interrupted. "I'm not sacrificing anything. To be honest, baby, I don't care who knows. Cragen knows, Tucker knows! Who the fuck are we really hiding it from? You want me to tell Munch and Fin? I will! As for neighbors, Casey's a little psychotic, but we're dealing with her. Simon and his wife are a bit, uh, too interested in our lives, but they seem nice enough. I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "And if my kids wanna think of you as their stepmother, baby, I don't think...we aren't setting them up for disappointment. I think letting them think that way...might be...preparing them."

Olivia turned to him sharply. "What?" she asked.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Elliot asked, smirking and shaking his head. "You're it for me, Liv. I want you, I want us, for the rest of my life. I don't know how you feel, but that's what I want. A future and a life with you. Together. I thought you knew that."

Olivia was quiet for a moment, holding his gaze as they stopped at a red light. "Part of me did," she said.

"Part of you...what...doubted it?" Elliot asked, moving the car again.

"No," Olivia said. "Part of me was convincing the pother part that it was stupid to think anyone, especially you, would want that with me."

"I do want that with you, Liv," Elliot said, sighing. "I want you, and everything that comes along with you, forever," he told her. "Please, don't doubt that. Don't be afraid of it, either."

"I wasn't scared of it," Olivia said. She took a deep breath, and let it out, smiling at him. She nodded. She was quiet for a moment, then said, "What really scared me...was that I want that, too."

Elliot smiled and grabbed her hand. He knew then that he'd have to find a way to get around their friends and neighbors, and take the next step with her.

* * *

"Just giving you a heads up, Don," Tucker said, nodding. I called everyone I could think of at McCoy's office, and when they get someone else who's interested in Sex Crimes, they'll pull Novak out. Until then, we just have to hope her behavior doesn't escalate. When Olivia and Elliot refuse her little offer, she might snap. I need you to..."

"I live right below...Elliot," Cragen said. "I'll be there in a heartbeat if anything gets serious."

Tucker folded his arms, and asked, "You don't happen to know where Novak got the idea that Elliot and Olivia are even having..."

"No," Cragen said. "I assure you, Ed, there is nothing going on between Olivia and Elliot. They're just...partners."

Tucker smirked and nodded. He felt a lot better knowing that his sister and Elliot had a captain who was so willing to protect them, at least, until he couldn't anymore. "Right," he said with a nod. "I'll keep you informed, Don, and you keep them safe."

Cragen nodded and shook Tucker's hand. "I will," he said. And he would, as long as he could.

* * *

"Call us if you need anything," Olivia said, hugging Maureen as they dropped her and her things off at her building.

"I will," Maureen said, grinning, as she she hugged Olivia. When she moved to hug her father, three kids her age shouted at her, walking toward them.

"Maur!" one of the girls yelled, "Hey! Welcome back! Are these your folks? The sex cops?"

Maureen flushed a bit and said, "Uh, yeah. Dad, this is Joanne, and this is Debbie. My roommates. And this is Jake, uh, a friend."

Elliot shook each girl's hand and smiled. He narrowed his a bit as he shook hands with Jake, but kept smiling.

"Wow, Maur," Jake said. "Your mom is smokin' hot! Misses Stabler, you, uh, you really are a babe!"

Olivia's eyes widened. "No, I'm not her..."

"Yeah, she is," Maureen interjected. "My dad thinks so, too, and he can and will hurt you if you ever talk about my mother like that again. I'll help him!"

"Sheesh! Sorry, Maur," Jake said, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just, I mean, she's hot, okay?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, who looked shocked but amused, and he chuckled.

"Hey, Maur," Debbie said, glancing from Olivia to her. "You lied about being a natural blonde, didn't you? Both your parents are brunettes!"

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but again, Maureen was faster.

"No, my grandmothers are both blonde," Maureen said, smiling. "I got all the recessive genes. Okay, Dad, Mom, you should go before Captain Cragen gets..."

"Can I see your badges?" Joanne asked, cutting Maureen off. "When Maureen said that both her parents were cops, well, I got a little excited to meet you. It';s such an honor to meet you both! I don't know if Maur's told you, but I wanna be a cop. When she talks about you guys, I cant't help but wish for my kids to talk about me like that one day. You're heroes to her!"

Elliot smiled and said, "Wow. That's really nice of you, thanks. Here," holding out his badge. "Honey?"

Olivia looked up at him and whispered, "She's been telling all of her friends that I'm her mother?"

"Apparently," Elliot said. "Just show the girl your badge and let them think what they want, Liv. It's really not that far off."

Olivia sighed, reached down to her hip and unclipped her badge. She held it out and watched Joanne's face light up.

"Your parents are so cool, Maur," Debbie said.

Maureen nodded. "Yeah, they are," she said. "They really are."

Elliot and Olivia put their badges back on their hips, and kissed Maureen. They said goodbye to her and her friends, got back in their black SUV and started for home.

"Ya know," Olivia said, "She had to tell them about me before we were even together. She came home the day we made this thing between us official. El, they knew exactly who I was..."

"Yeah," Elliot cut her off, "She's been telling people you were her mother since her senior year of high school. She even carries a picture of us, together, in her wallet. It's, uh, one of the reasons Kathy hates you, and one of the reasons she thought we were having an affair."

"You knew?" Olivia asked, stunned.

"Yeah," Elliot said, turning out onto the road. "I didn't correct her because, well, because I wanted that, too, ya know? She told me she did it because she thought that it was the way it was supposed to be. She knew, Liv. Before we did."

Olivia smiled and shook her head. "She was trying to tell you something," she said.

"Yeah, she was," Elliot said, reaching over and grabbing Olivia's hand. He caressed the side of her hand with his thumb and sighed happily.

"Elliot, stop!" Olivia yelled.

Elliot dropped her hand. "Sorry, I just thought...that was a romantic moment and..."

"No, baby, the car! Stop the car!" Olivia cried.

Elliot pulled over and parked, then turned to ask why. Olivia had already gotten out of the car, though. "Liv!" he yelled, running after her. "Baby, what happened?" He caught up to her and gasped. "Jesus," he said, looking down at the naked woman lying, dead, at Olivia's feet.

Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled out a latex glove out of it. She covered her hand and picked up the purse that was lying next to the body. It was empty, the contents spilled out on the ground. "Lipstick, car keys, wallet. No cash, no cards, just her ID." Olivia looked at it and cursed.

"What?" Elliot asked. "Do you know her? How could you possibly know her?"

"I don't," Olivia said. "I think Casey might, though. Her name's Allison Novak."

**A/N: Uh-oh! What will Casey do now, now that they're working on an interstate case involving someone she may or may not know? Or was Casey in on it? Will Cragen even figure out that Tucker knows? Will Elliot and Olivia come out and tell everyone? Click to find out! Reviews keep the story going! Let me know, here or on Twitter TMG212**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Just how cuckoo for cocoa puffs is Casey?**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, the characters are not mine. Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, me, owns the story: plot, narrative, idea, dialogue and the computer I wrote it on.**

Cragen and Jack McCoy, along with Casey Novak, met Olivia and Elliot at the scene, as did the Scranton detectives and local Medical Examiner. Olivia was crouched behind the M.E as McCoy brought a panicking Casey over to Elliot.

"I know this isn't standard procedure," McCoy said, "But if it's a relative of someone in the system..."

Elliot nodded and said, "I know, Jack."

Casey took a breath. "Is it her? Is it my sister, Elliot?"

"Casey," Elliot said, as gently as he could, "I'm gonna take you over there, okay? But you gotta stay calm."

Casey just nodded, following Elliot toward Olivia. She held her breath as they got closer to the body, and when she got a good look, her legs buckled and she let out a strangled, painful cry, falling into Olivia's arms.

Olivia, in detective mode, put her personal feelings for Casey aside and comforted her, the way she would any victim's family.

Elliot watched in wonderment, amazed at how many sides there were to Olivia, and how much he loved each and every one. He walked over and rested a hand on Casey's shoulder.

"Please," Casey sobbed, "You have to find him. You have to find the man who did this to Ally!"

Olivia, even though she didn't like Casey, nodded and said, "You know we will."

Casey cried, holding onto Olivia, and said, "I'm sorry, Olivia. For everything. Just find him and I swear I will never bother you and your husband again, I just need you to..."

"Casey," Elliot interrupted, "We're gonna get him." He caught Olivia's eyes, and they shared a knowing, understanding look. They knew working on an interstate case, involving one of their own, would be hell, but it seemed they didn't have a choice.

* * *

They drove in silence to the Third Precinct in Scranton, following the cruiser in front of them. Elliot broke the silence at a red light. "She really latched onto back there."

"She was grieving, El! She was in shock, crying," Olivia declared. "She wasn't copping a feel!"

Elliot shrugged, driving again. "Liv," he said, "I don't wanna sound like 'that guy,' but do you think Casey set this up so she could..."

"You honestly think she would have her own sister killed, just so she could get close to me? To us?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.

Elliot was silent for a moment, biting his lip. "Honey," he said, "She might have."

Olivia thought about it, briefly, then said, "The cameras, following us, asking to watch us have sex," she listed, shaking her head. "This is a logical next step," she surmised. "But how did she know, El? How did she know we were gonna be on that road? How did she know I would make you stop? Or that I'd even see the body?"

Elliot's eyes widened and he glanced at Olivia. "She's been watching us for God knows how long, babe. Maybe she was watching you before she was assigned to Sex Crimes! She knows that you'd stop if you saw a body, and she knew...oh, God, Liv! She knows where Maureen goes to school! She must know someone at Penn State! That's why she is so sure we're married, Liv, she knows Maureen talks about..."

"She knows Maureen's been telling people I'm her mother?" Olivia interrupted, shocked. "God, how?"

Elliot looked at Olivia and, through gritted teeth, said, "Call Mo, ask her if she knows anyone named Allison Novak."

Olivia scoffed as she pulled out her phone and dialed. She heard Maureen answer with a very cheerful, "Hi, Mom!" Her breath caught in her throat as she let that greeting sink in. "Hey, sweetie," she finally said, "Mo, I have a question for you. Do you know a girl named Allison Novak? Oh, God, how?"

Elliot watched as Olivia's eyes closed and she shook her head, pressing her lips together. "Liv," he whispered, "What?"

"Thanks, sweetie," Olivia said. "I love you, too. No, uh, I don't mind. Really. Just, uh, don't go telling your friends that you're getting another brother or sister. Okay, honey. Bye."

Elliot repeated, "Liv! What?"

Olivia was stunned as she said, "Allison Novak was Maureen's roommate last semester. Maury said that she had this sister who visited every weekend, and asked her terribly personal questions about us. She even asked when we would be heading up to visit. When she caught Allison's sister stealing pictures of us out of her wallet and her bedroom, she asked the housing authority for a new room."

"Shit, Liv," Elliot said, parking the car. "What the fuck are we dealing with, here?"

Olivia sighed, resting her hand on the door handle. "Same thing we always deal with," she said. "A sociopathic, obsessive, psychotic perp. Only this time, we're the special victims."

They bolted into the building and up to the floor they were told to go to, the precinct's Special Victim's Unit. They were trying to beat Casey up to the room.

Olivia was the first to run into the bullpen, and she looked around for a detective to speak to about their situation. "Oh," she said, finding one. "Excuse me, we need to..." she paused, seeing the man who turned around. "Brian?"

"Olivia?" Brian Cassidy, a former Manhattan SVU detective with whom Olivia had been personally involved, questioned as he turned around. "Elliot, what are you two doing here?"

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Great," he scoffed. "We don't need this shit right now."

"Relax," Cassidy said, "I'm not going to make a move on Olivia." He smirked and said, "I'm engaged."

"Good for you," Elliot said, smirking back. "We're married."

Olivia turned to him, shocked.

Cassidy's face fell. "Oh," he said. "Well, uh, great, then."

Olivia shook her head. "We aren't married," she said. "Yet," she added, smirking. "Look, we need you to do us a favor. When your captain brings up the crying blonde woman, take her into the box and keep her there until we come in to get her. We need to talk to your captain..."

"And ours," Elliot interjected.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Right, and ours, before we get her statement."

Cassidy looked confused. "What are you talking about? Why?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "We think the vic's sister is our perp, or at least a conspirator of some..."

"Oh, my God," Cassidy yelled, running over to Casey as she was brought in. "Casey, what happened?" he asked, panicking.

"Oh, God, Brian," Casey cried, "It's Ally! She's...she's dead!"

"What?" Cassidy gasped, collapsing into the nearest chair. "But I just...no! No, no, no, you can't be..." he stopped as he fell into hysterical sobbing.

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other, confused and questioning, until Elliot noticed something on Cassidy's desk. "Fuck," he whispered. "Liv," he called.

Olivia turned to him and gasped at the framed photo Elliot was holding up.

"I think Allison was Cassidy's fiancée," Elliot said, putting the frame down.

"Okay," Olivia said, walking closer to Elliot. "I'm officially scared, now."

Elliot shot her a look, then ran over to Cragen, whispering something into his ear. Cragen's eyes widened as he turned and relayed the message to the local captain. Both commanding officers looked at Elliot and nodded. Elliot grabbed Olivia and pulled her toward the captain's office, but he was stopped by Casey's frantic voice.

"Olivia!" she yelled. "Don't leave me!"

Olivia sighed and said, "Casey, I'll be right back, Brian is going to take your..."

"No!" Casey yelled, sternly. "I want to talk to you!" she barked, sounding violent. She softened suddenly and looked at Olivia. "Please," she begged pitifully.

Olivia looked at Elliot, then at the two captains. "Okay," she said, "Calm down, Casey. I'll take your statement." She shot Elliot another look, trusting him to tell Cragen and the Scranton chief everything, as fast as possible.

* * *

Twenty minutes of conversation, interrogation, and yelling later, Elliot and Cragen ran out of the office, nearly busting down the door to the pit. "Oh, shit!" Elliot yelled, running into the interrogation room. "Cassidy! Brian, buddy, come on! Wake up!" he coached, slapping Cassidy's face.

Brian mumbled, rolled his head, and blinked open his eyes. "Wha...hey," he garbled.

"Where's Liv?" Elliot barked. "What happened?"

Brian shook his head slightly. "Casey...chloroform..." he blabbered. "Transport elevator," he spat, trying weakly to point to the pit.

"Fuck!" Elliot spat, jumping to his feet. He pulled his gun out of his holster as he ran toward the elevator, punching the call button violently, then giving up and running out, heading for the stairs. "Call Fin!" he yelled as he ran down the steps.

"Damn it!" Cragen yelled. "Why wasn't anyone watching them?"

Cassidy tried to stand up, on wobbly legs. "Was," he said. "Braxton. Helped her carry...Olivia."

"Shit!" Cragen cursed. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed as he ran out of the squadroom, following Elliot's tracks down the stairs. "Ed," he said as the man picked up the phone, "We have a big fucking problem."

**A/N: Where did Casey take Olivia? Has anything happened to her? Who is Braxton and why did he help Casey? Will Elliot find Olivia with the help of their friends and neighbors? Review! Tweet TMG212 on Twitter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Where did Casey take Olivia? Has anything happened to her? Who is Braxton and why did he help Casey? Will Elliot find Olivia with the help of their friends and neighbors?**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, the characters are not mine. Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler©, me, owns the story: plot, narrative, idea, dialogue and the computer I wrote it on.**

"Calm down!" Cragen yelled, watching Elliot punch a brick wall, kick over a garbage can, and punch the wall again.

Elliot turned and started yelling. "Calm down? Calm the fuck down? I want some psychotic bitch to kidnap your wife and see how fucking calm you are!"

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Wife?"

"Oh, she might as well be!" Elliot yelled. "And you, you have balls, keeping your relationship a secret like that! You know how long...how desperate she's been to find out if she had a family? Who her father was?" He turned on Tucker then, too. "She's gonna fucking kill you, Eddie!"

Tucker sighed. "Stabler, man, please. Calm down. We need to find her. We can talk about why we didn't tell Olivia about my father later."

"Got something!" Cassidy yelled, ripping a page off of the portable printer. "Braxton has an apartment two blocks from here. Co-signer on the lease is Casey Novak!"

Elliot yanked the paper out of Cassidy's hands, scanned it for the address, and took off running.

Simon, Tucker, Cragen, and Cassidy looked at each other, then looked at Fin and Munch. Munch and Fin got into the squad car and drove, as the others all ran after Elliot.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, sweetheart," Casey said, caressing Olivia's cheek.

Olivia moaned, rolling her head to the side, her eyes fluttering open. They focused on Casey and she tried to say something, but there was a wide strip of fabric tied around her mouth. She moved and jerked, and that's when she realized she was tied to the bed. Her arms were above her head, wrists bound together and strapped to the center bar. Her feet were apart, each one tightly tied to separate posts.

"I'm not going to hurt you, baby," Casey cooed softly, her hand grazing the side of her body. "This is going to feel so, so good." She brought her hands over Olivia's chest, brushing over her nipples. "I promise, it will."

Olivia shook her head.

"Yes, it will," Casey nodded.

Olivia rolled her eyes. She shook her head again.

"Oh," Casey laughed. "You don't want me to do this?"

Olivia nodded.

"Yes you do?" Casey asked, smirking.

Olivia rolled her eyes again and let out a frustrated noise. She shook her head.

"Oh, you don't," Casey said, still smirking. "Can't really stop me, can you?" she asked, chuckling. She slowly unbuttoned Olivia's white shirt, letting it fall open to reveal her white satin bra. "Did you wear this just for Elliot? It seems awfully sexy for a cop." She looked up at Olivia and said, "Answer me."

Olivia took a breath, closed her eyes, and nodded.

"I thought so," Casey said, running her fingers over the tight skin of Olivia's toned, olive-tinted stomach. "He's so lucky to have you. He doesn't deserve you. You're too good for him. You're so beautiful. So strong, so sexy," she muttered as she caressed Olivia.

Olivia swallowed hard as she closed her eyes, trying so hard to mentally cry out to Elliot to tell him where she was.

Casey unbuttoned Olivia's black pants, she gasped in anticipation as she slid down the zipper, and she chuckled as she saw the white silk and lace peek through. "Naughty, little detective," she said. "Are these for Elliot, too?"

Olivia took another deep breath, nodded, and felt her stomach churn as she felt Casey tug down the pants.

"Mine now," Casey said, gritting her teeth.

"Uh, Casey?" Braxton said, coming into the room. His eyes widened at the sight before him. "Shit, she is hot!"

"I know she is, that's one of the reasons I love her," Casey said with a smile, not taking her eyes off of Olivia. "What do you want, Nick?"

Braxton cleared his throat and tried to calm his growing erection. "I hear sirens. They sound close."

"No one knows where we are," Casey said, her fingers trailing over the waistband of Olivia's panties. "Leave us alone, Nick. This is private."

Braxton cleared his throat and backed out of the room, slowly, right into a very strong, very angry pair of arms. He turned, but before he could make any noise, a fist collided with his face, knocking him out cold. The man who punched him heard a familiar sounding moan of protest, and a very girly giggle, and headed toward the bedroom.

"Just relax, baby," Casey said, laughing, stroking the fabric over Olivia's slit lightly.

Olivia struggled, then she looked at Casey, noticing something behind her. Her eyes widened and her hips bucked and she moaned loudly.

"Excited, are you?" Casey laughed. "I told you that you would start to enjoy this." Casey heard a click, then, and felt the barrel of a gun being pressed to the back of her head.

"I think she's just happy to see me, actually," a low, angry voice, said from behind her.

Casey's eyes widened. "Elliot!" she gasped. "How the hell did you find us?"

"Get off the bed, get away from my wife," Elliot commanded.

Casey moved her hand lower on Olivia's body. "I can't do that, Elliot," she said. Tears had sprung to her eyes. "Don't you see how close I am? How...much I need this?"

"You touch her, Casey, and I will shoot you," Elliot warned. He moved quickly, grabbing her arm and yanking her off the bed, tossing her to the floor. He moved in front of Olivia. He kept his gun trained on Casey as he moved to Olivia and pulled the fabric down off of her mouth. "Baby, you okay?"

Olivia nodded. She took a deep breath and said, "Yeah."

"Did she hurt you?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Olivia shook her head. "You got here before she could."

Elliot, momentarily forgetting about Casey, kissed Olivia, brushed her hair back, and said, "I love you."

"I love you, El," Olivia sighed, looking at him, relieved.

Casey, having gotten up off of the floor, moved closer to them. She reached out for Elliot's gun, but he was faster.

Elliot moved back, aiming at her again, and smirked when he heard the others coming in through the door. He pulled the blanket out from underneath Olivia and tossed it over her, keeping his gun trained on Casey, so she wouldn't be exposed to anyone when they walked into the room. "Guys!" he yelled. "In here!"

Munch and Fin ran in, looked around, and raised their eyebrows. "Novak," Fin said, "You fucked with the wrong girl." He grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back, cuffing her.

"Wait!" Casey yelled. "Please! Before I go, I just, I wanna see it! I wanna watch it!"

Elliot dropped his gun. He looked over at Olivia and ran to her, dropping to his knees. He reached up and untied Olivia's wrists, rubbing them gently as she sat up, then moved down her blanket covered body to untie her ankles, rubbing them, too. He scooped her up into his arms, got to his feet, and looked deeply into her eyes. He crashed his lips into hers and felt her arms wrap around his neck. He held her tighter as the kiss deepened.

Casey sighed with a smile. "Love," she said. "That's love."

Munch yanked on the cuffs, pulling her toward the door, and said, "Yeah, it is, and where you're going, you're never gonna see it again."

Fin, Munch, and Casey left the room, leaving Elliot and Olivia lost in their kiss, in their moment, in their love.

* * *

"Are you sure you're all right, Benson?" Huang asked, handing her another cup of coffee as she sat at the table in the conference room.

Olivia nodded and leaned back, further into Elliot's embrace. "It's just a lot to take in," she said. "So, you two knew about each other?" she asked, pointing to Simon and Tucker.

Tucker nodded. "We didn't tell you because...well, I didn't wanna rock your world any more than I do on a daily basis, and I know how you feel about me. Finding out we're related, well, that wouldn't have been fun for you."

"And I was waiting for the right time. I wanted you to trust me before I sprung it on you," Simon said. "But when you went missing and Cragen called Tucker..."

"I called Simon," Tucker said. "We told Elliot. We needed to be there. We wanted to help. We both care about you, very much, Olivia."

Olivia nodded. She sipped her coffee. "I just, uh, ya know, like I said, it's a lot to process right now."

Huang looked at her. "How are you handling being a..."

"I'm not a victim," Olivia said with a scoff. "Casey was nuts, but she didn't do anything. I'm not feeling guilty, or anxious, or traumatized. I'm not feeling ashamed or embarrassed. In fact, the only thing I feel is pissed off that you took her away before I could punch her."

The group laughed, Elliot kissed the back of her head and held her closer. Olivia smiled and sighed into him. "Liv," he whispered, "She was right. You, uh, did look incredibly sexy, ya know."

"I know," Olivia whispered back with a smirk. "I wore something special, for you," she said with a shrug. "No one else was supposed to see me like that," she said, looking down.

Elliot tugged her chin back up and kissed her. Then he grinned. "I think we should get Cragen a pair of earplugs."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Why?" she asked, then it hit her. "El?"

"I almost lost you today, baby," he said, dropping his head to hers. "When we get home, it's gonna be loud, it's gonna be long, it's gonna prove that you're here, that you're mine."

"I'm right here," Olivia said, "And I am yours." She stopped, furrowed her brow again, and tilted her head. "You called me your wife."

"Huh?" Elliot questioned. He'd hoped she didn't catch that.

"You told Casey to get away from your wife," Olivia said, "But last month, you told her we weren't married."

Elliot looked her in the eyes. He kissed her hard on the lips, pulled away, and said, "Well, maybe we should be."

**A/N: Was that a proposal? What does Olivia say? What happens when they get home? Will Cragen wish he had earplugs? Thanks for reading! Review here or on Twitter! TMG212**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Was it really a proposal? If it wasn't, does it become one? And how will the recent turn of events affect the couple? What about their friends and neighbors? Again, I apologize for the short length. I'm on vacation, so I'm writing in bursts of free creativity while relaxing, and it's being done on my phone. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU, characters and locations. TStabler© owns this story: dialogue, narrative, etc. Enjoy, no touchy! You break it, you bought it!**

There were several moments of silence as Olivia stared deeply into Elliot's eyes, trying to discern the seriousness of that statement. "Did you just propose?" she asked, gripping his shoulders.

"Uh, maybe," Elliot asked, suddenly nervous. "Maybe not. I don't know. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"This is my shocked face, Elliot," Olivia said, still trying to make sense of what he said. "Was that you asking me to marry you?"

Elliot tensed up, knowing that the Olivia Benson he knew would run in three seconds flat if he said yes. "Liv, baby, I don't know. I just said it." He tucked the hair behind her ear and tried to smile. "I don't have a ring, I don't know what you want, this is way too fast for you, I just know...I know that I want to be with you for the rest of my life." He kissed the middle of her forehead. "I know my kids are crazy about you, I know our friends are already pretty damn convinced we're in this for the long haul. I know I love you more than I have ever loved anyone..."

"Shut up, El," Olivia said, smirking. She took a deep breath, her eyes dancing as they looked into his, and she said, "Ask me."

"What?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow, tilting his head. "I just told you, I don't have a ring. I haven't even looked for one. This is just gonna be me asking the question. Liv, there isn't gonna be any glamour. No flash, no flair, no spectacle."

Olivia looked into his eyes. "Have I ever struck you as the kind of girl who gives a shit if you have a fucking ring or if you've prepared some hour-long speech about our undying love for each other?" The tears were already in her eyes.

Elliot laughed. "No, definitely not."

"Ask me," Olivia repeated.

Elliot looked down. "You're wearing sneakers. If I do this and you run away..."

Olivia smacked him in the arm. "Son of a bitch, just ask me," she said, her eyes still twinkling.

Elliot sighed, closing his eyes. He took both of her hands in his, cleared his throat, and opened his eyes, looking deeply into hers. "Olivia Benson," he said, "Will you marry me?"

Olivia felt a warm tear sliding down her cheek. "This is where I run, sorry," she said, turning to get up.

Elliot grabbed her. "Liv," he said, nervous.

Olivia chuckled and looked back at him. She cupped his face and said, "I'm right here, baby."

"I asked you a question," Elliot said, nuzzling her nose. "You made me ask. Now, answer me."

Olivia kissed him, smiling, as she nodded. "Yes," she said. "Simple question. Simple answer."

Cragen, looking in on them from the two-way mirror, shook his head and ran a hand down his face. "Shit," he said. "It's not simple. Damn it."

Tucker folded his arms. "I'm not gonna do anything about this, Don," he said. "I can't, she's my sister, and this is the first guy she's been with who treats her right, that she loves, that she's happy with. It's not affecting..."

"Not affecting their work?" Cragen barked. "Elliot almost killed two suspects today, simply because Olivia was the victim!"

"He does that all the time, and he actually showed incredible restraint being that Olivia was the victim," Huang said, matter-of-factly.

"Cap," Fin said, "He really didn't do anything I haven't seen him do a thousand times. Your damn right he was a bit more emotional with Baby-Girl, we all would have been. He's his partner, one of us," he explained. "And his girlfriend."

"You can all tell me this is fine," Cragen said, "But I can't protect them anymore. Not now that this is all out in the open. Fuck!" he yelled. "Fin, as of tomorrow, you're with Benson." He picked up a file sitting on his desk, sighed, and opened the door to the pit. "At least until I figure this the fuck out." He left the room and picked up his cell phone, dialing a number that was new to him. "Simon? Don Cragen. We've got an issue here, and your sister and Elliot...you're on their floor. Watch 'em for me. Everything, Simon. I wanna know everything."

* * *

Elliot led Olivia into the door, kissing her quietly, as he knew most of the kids were asleep. He kissed his way down to her neck as he stripped her clother off, leaving them in a trail from the door to their bedroom.

"El," Olivia whispered, but he eased her worry.

"We get up hours before them," Elliot told her. "Besides, they're all teenagers. It isn't as if they aren't aware of what's going on." He pulled her naked body into the bedroom, lifted her into his arms, and placed her gently in the center of the bed. He got up, staring at her, and closed the door, then started to tear off his own clothes. He eyed the heating vent, chuckling, and shook his head. "We're gonna give him a heart attack," he said, dropping the last of his clothes and heading toward the bed. He crawled over Olivia, but rather than dive in head first, he looked down at her and sighed. He got a tremendously serious look in his eyes and said, "I don't know what I would have done, Liv." He kissed her sweetly, tugging the covers over them. "I was a complete mess when you were gone, I was...scared. More afraid than I have ever been, of anything, and I was a fucking Marine. I've seen some scary shit, baby, and you being away from me and with that psycho for two hours petrified me."

Olivia brushed his hair back, looking up into his clear, blue eyes. "I know," she said. "I was scared, too, baby."

"I can't be away from you," Elliot said. "I know that we're probably getting split up at work, but I can't...I don't trust anyone else to have your back the way I..."

Olivia cut him off with a scorching kiss, knowing that if she let him talk she would end up in tears. "I love you, too," she said with a smile as she pulled away.

"I can't lose you again," Elliot said, shifting, grabbing her legs gently and spreading them open. He held her gaze, concentrating on telling her he loved her with his eyes, as he slid into her, and when her head fell back and her teeth dragged across her lips, her nails dug into his back and he knew she knew the message had been received. He dropped his head to her chest and sucked a nipple into her mouth, getting her attention.

Olivia's head popped back up, and she smiled as he began to move his hips and moan, and her hands flew to the back of his head. "Baby," she whispered.

"Liv," Elliot said softly, releasing her nipple and moving his head the few inches to get to hers. He attached his lips to her mouth, his tongue grazed her bottom lip, then searched for hers, massaging it when it found what it was looking for.

To watch Olivia and Elliot make love, as Casey so desperately wanted to, was to watch a beautiful dance of desire, passion, grace respect and love. The heat and rhythm they shared mingled with the heavy beat of their bodies slamming into each other, thrusting, rolling, clutching, clawing, and scratching. Rough patches in between the most gentle of acts.

"God, Olivia," Elliot growled, pulling her wrists up and holding them down, forgetting the ordeal she'd been through earlier.

Olivia, proving how much she trusted and loved him, didn't for a single second fight him on it. She simply let it happen. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. She felt Elliot's finger's linking with hers as his body moved faster, harder against and into hers. "Elliot," she cried, her voice louder and higher, a sign that the end was nearing for her, "God, baby. Please!"

"Shit, baby," Elliot grunted, squeezing her hands in his, pulling one free. He worked it between their frantically moving bodies and he found the place where they were joined. He gasped when he touched himself coming out of her, acidentally, as he was working fast and blind, but he found his destination quickly, his thumb pressing her clit and rubbing vigorously.

"God, yes!" Olivia yelped, thrashing backward as her hips thrust up and her lower body came up off the bed.

"Yeah, baby," Elliot encouraged. He stroked her clit again, this time holding onto her with his other arm. "Fuck, baby, I need..." He trailed off as he grunted and tensed up.

"Oh, God, El," Olivia cried, tightening around him. She pulsated and her back arched off the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut, but Elliot told her to open them.

"Look at me," Elliot said. The second their eyes met, they exploded. She released with a cry of his name and he spilled into her, seeing stars in front of his open eyes, screaming a "Jesus Christ, Olivia," of his own.

Downstairs, Cragen heard every gasp, cry, and squeak of the bed. He heard their barely spoken conversation, their vow to never be apart, and he knew they would hate him for forcing them to break that promise. He sighed as he looked through the photo album, unsure of whether to handle this like their friend, their neighbor, their captain, or something else entirely. Something, up until now, he couldn't even admit he was. Elliot would kill him.

**A/N: What's up with Cragen? Why does it concern Elliot? Will he split them up? Find out by leaving a review here, or following me on Twitter and letting me know there, TMG212. I'll follow ya back. ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Does Olivia finally run? Where? What happens as a result? And who is looking to rent Casey's apartment?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia woke up earlier than she had wanted to. She hadn't slept well, and rather then fight to get back to sleep, or risk waking Elliot, she simply got out of bed, showered, and left on a note on her pillow. She decided to head into work early, taking the eight block walk to the sqadroom alone for the first time in months. This meant Elliot would have to get the kids up and out on his own, and though she felt mildly guilty about it, she needed the time to herself, to think.

She was engaged.

She had practically forced him to ask her to marry him.

She didn't have a ring, but she was getting married, and it was all her idea. She strolled down the bust city street, stopping once to pick up two cups of coffee from a small cafe, and thought about how she ended up in this position. She wondered if it was a mild case of post-traumatic stress, or if she'd developed a sudden Prince Charming complex since Elliot had saved her life. Something caused temporary insanity, that must have been it, because Olivia Benson was terrified of commitment, and would never be the one to bring it on herself.

As she walked, she wavered between overthinking and her mind going completely blank. She pulled the door to the station house open, holding it for a uniformed cop who smirked and winked at her. She nodded back numbly, ignoring his gaze following her ass up the stairs as it faded from his view. She meandered into the bullpen of the Special Victims Unit, dropping Elliot's mocha latte on his desk while she sipped her vanilla one.

The spattering of detectives and cops who'd pulled the graveyard shift eyed her gratefully and began to file out, sighing in relief. Cragen's door, she noticed, was open a crack with a beam of light shining through. He was here, and the last thing she wanted to do was alert him to her presence that quickly. He would make her talk to Huang again. She sat behind her desk and nodded at the colleagues she barely knew as they left, and once she was alone, her head dropped into her hands. She rubbed her eyes and she sighed.

"Jesus Christ," she mumbled, as everything hit her at once. Everything. She had been kidnapped and almost sexually assaulted by a woman who had been watching her every move for months. She found out she had two brothers, one of whom was a co-worker she didn't particularly like, and she now knew who her father was. She lived upstairs from her captain who probably heard her having an incredible amount of loud, passionate sex with her partner, every night, since he moved in, and the way she handled all of this was by getting engaged?

"What the fuck?" she asked herself, in complete and utter shock as she figured out the reason.

Elliot's voice hit her ears from the squadroom doors. "I asked myself that when I woke up this morning, too."

Olivia's head popped up and shot toward him, her face contorting into a look of apologetic silence. Her mouth opened.

"Don't," Elliot said. He walked over to his desk, picked up the latte she bought for him, and sipped it. "I knew this was gonna happen. I know you. You weren't ready, I told you you were gonna run, and you made me..."

"That's not what I'm doing," Olivia said defensively. There was honest hurt in her voice and her eyes.

Elliot leaned back in his chair. "What are you doing, then?" he asked, tilting his head. "I wake up and you're gone, Liv. That's fucking running."

"Not from you, El," Olivia said with a raised eyebrow. "Christ! I just needed time! I woke up early and just...needed to think." She took a breath and a sip of her coffee. "I didn't really have time to process everything last night. Tucker...his father...he's my..."

"Yeah," Elliot whispered. "I know, honey. Simon, too. He was living down the hall from you for years, Liv. He never told you. Neither one of them did. Tucker's reasoning, I get. But Simon's? He could have said something when we had dinner with him," he said, just as upset as Olivia. He got up and walked over to her, standing behind her. He rested his hands on her shoulders and squeezed, lightly massaging. "Baby, wake me up next time. Please, don't just leave like that. You scared me half to death. The fan was on and your note blew out into the hallway. If Dickie didn't find it..."

"Oh, God," Olivia said, half moan, half groan. "I'm so sorry. El, I didn't...that feels so good...mean to make you worry."

"I know you didn't," Elliot said, squeezing harder, working out the knots he was finding. "Holy shit, you're tense! If this is all too much for you, we can just forget I asked you...what I asked you."

"No," Olivia said. She turned her head over her shoulder. "I know why I made you ask," she said. "That's what I was thinking about, El. Through all of this craziness with our friends, and neighbors, and work, and your kids moving in, Maureen's friends thinking I'm her mother and Kathleen trying to figure out if she loves me or hates me, you are the one thing...the only thing...that's constant. That matters. That I'm absolutely sure of. I don't want to lose that. El, I don't want to lose you."

Elliot knelt down to meet her eyes. "And you think that, if we didn't get engaged at that exact moment, you would have?" he asked, a disbelieving smile creeping across his lips.

"You wanted to ask," Olivia said, peering into his eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't. You felt it happening and you stopped yourself because you thought I would run, or say no. I..."

Elliot kissed her, stopping her from speaking. "I'd wait, you know that. I would have waited."

"I know that," Olivia said, smirking. "But you asked, I answered you, no waiting necessary." She moved and kissed him again, staying attached to him a little longer than the first time, as if trying to prove a point. "I need you right now. Just...help me deal with all of this shit, baby. Please."

"On one condition," Elliot said, reaching into his pocket.

"What's that?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow at him, curious.

Elliot pulled a small red box out of his pocket and put it on her desk. "Open that," he said.

Olivia held her breath as her hand brushed over the velvet and her fingers clutched it. She opened it and gasped. "Oh, my God. I thought you said you didn't have a..."

"It was my mother's," Elliot interrupted. "My father had it made for her. It took a month to design and another month before it was finished. She took it off when he died, and gave it to me to give to Kathy. She told me the woman I loved should have it, and wear it, since my father had spent so much time and money on it for her. It's a true symbol of love and loyalty, but...I never gave it to Kathy. I couldn't, since there was only one person that was...well, the love and loyalty i had in my life...it wasn't with Kathy. I kept it in my sock drawer for years, waiting for the right time to give it to...you, Liv."

Olivia looked from the ring to him and saw his eyes shining brightly at her. He was smiling. "I was actually going to give it to you for your birthday, but this, uh, makes things much easier." He took the ring out of the box and looked up at her, and took her left hand in his, slipping it onto her ring finger. "I take it your answer is still yes?"

Olivia nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Of course it is," she whispered, shocked.

Elliot Brushed the tear away with his thumb. "You know I'm right here, baby," he said. "Of course I'll be here, getting you through all of this. Whatever you need, you got me, and the kids, and I don't know if you want them or not, but you have Simon and Ed now, too."

Olivia brushed her nose against his slightly, cupping his face. "I love you," she whispered, thankful the bullpen was still empty.

"I love you, too, honey," Elliot replied.

From his office, Cragen looked on, both frightened and happy for them. Scared that he would lose one, or both, of his best detectives, yet overjoyed that they were so in love, so secure with each other, and so damned happy. He glanced at his watch and sighed. Their day would be starting soon, and their shift was gonna be hard. They had four calls in the last two hours, and Fin and Munch were already late. Their little conversation would have to wait.

* * *

"Rent is twelve-seventy-five a month, includes utilities. Cable is optional and you pay for that on your own," an overweight, balding man in overalls told an attractive blonde woman.

The woman looked around the apartment and hummed. "It's small," she said.

"It's Manhattan," the man said, looking at her as if she had five heads. "Everywhere is small."

"Is anyone else looking at it?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," the man said, nodding. "Had a guy come in this morning. A lawyer. And a man's coming by this afternoon. Says he works for the government."

"Okay," the woman said. "You tell them that I'm willing to split the rent, and the cable. I want this place, regardless."

The man looked at her, questions in his eyes. "Ma'am, are you sure?"

"I have a feeling I know exactly who you're talking about, and trust me," she said, "Neither one will mind living with me. I know what they want and I know they'll think I can help them get it."

"So who should I tell them is asking for the place, if they decide to take you up on the offer to split it?" the landlord asked, holding out a notepad.

The blonde smirked. "Alexandra Cabot," she said. "Don't be surprised if they both, uh, act a little surprised." She watched the man write down her name and asked, "Does Olivia Benson still live across the hall?"

"Yeah," the man said, nodding. "Lives with her boyfriend and his kids now. They're my best tenants." He handed Alex a slip of paper and said, "Call this number at nine tonight, and you'll have an answer."

"Thanks," Alex said, nodding. She grabbed her bag and left, sighing as she headed down the hallway. There was an opening for an A. D. A in Sex Crimes, and she had to hurry if she wanted to convince Jack McCoy, the district attorney, to give her the job. Of course, she had to convince him she was still alive first.

**A/N: Oh, goody! New neighbors! Who moves in with Alex? And what does Cragen have to say to Olivia and Elliot? He waits until they get home, and pays them a neighborly visit. ;) Reviews are always welcome, and thanks for reading! Glad you're sticking with me on this one. Feel free to leave a note here, or follow TMG212 on Twitter =) **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Who moves in with Alex? Dinner with Simon and Sarah leads to an interesting phone call with Cragen. More secrets? Oh, yes!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia was walking toward her door, carrying a paper bag of groceries, when she saw someone vaguely familiar looking step into the apartment across the hall. She took a breath, trying to remain calm, and opened her door. "Woah," she yelped, tripping over the body of a fourteen year old. "What are you..."

Dickie looked up at her and held his finger to his lips.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and shook her head trying to skirt around the other children laying in the middle of the floor. She rolled her eyes when she realized what was going on, and she headed into the kitchen, setting the bag down on the counter.

"Murder, death, dead!" Lizzie yelled.

Kathleen clapped and shouted, "Drop Dead Fred!"

Olivia smirked as she took out the fresh vegetables and she laughed to herself when Dickie and Lizzie yelled at Kathleen for cheating, then laughed louder when she heard Kathleen ask how you could possibly cheat at charades.

"You love that sound, don't you?" Elliot asked, watching from the entryway as Olivia filled a pot with water and placed it on the stove.

"What sound?" Olivia asked, starting to chop the carrots.

"Laughing children," Elliot said. "Ya know, they have never laughed as much as they do now. As they have since they've been here. With you."

Olivia shrugged, tossing the chopped carrots into the pot. "It isn't me, El. They're just happy. You did an awful lot of yelling and fighting with Kathy, and that made your kids pretty damn grouchy. Not being around all that negativity, or her, makes them happier."

"They're not the only ones," Elliot said, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm happier. You're happier, and...you're cooking."

Olivia chuckled, leaning into his embrace as she chopped celery. "Chicken soup," she said. "One of the three things I can make without burning the apartment down."

"This is so perfect," Elliot said. "You and me, standing in front of our stove in our kitchen, with the kids playing stupid games in the living room. It's all absolutely perfect."

"I think perfect might be an understatement," Olivia said with a smirk, throwing the celery into the pot. "Can you get the chicken out of the bag for me? Unwrap it?"

Elliot kissed the back of her head and said, "Absolutely," as he dug around in the bag for the package of poultry. "What do you want me to do with it?" he asked, placing on the counter and peeling back the plastic.

"Get a really big knife, cut the chicken into tiny pieces, and throw it in the water," Olivia said, dumfounded. "Have you never made soup before?"

Elliot wagged his hand back and forth. "I make great vegetable soup, and no one makes potato soup like me," he said with a cocky grin, "But chicken soup? Always just...came out of a can."

Olivia gasped. "The great Elliot Stabler actually fed his children canned chicken soup?"

"Go ahead and laugh," Elliot said, "But tell me when the hell I had time for it, and name a single time you can remember Kathy caring enough."

"Right," Olivia chuckled, throwing onions into the pot. "Oh, uh, on the way in...you're gonna think I'm nuts, never mind."

"You thought you saw Alex?" Elliot asked, throwing the chopped chicken into the pot.

Olivia turned to look at him and said, "Yeah, actually."

"Me, too," Elliot said. "I went down to get the mail and I thought I saw her. The resemblance was..."

"Uncanny," Olivia finished for him. "Even just out of the corner of my eye, El, I swear it's her."

Elliot threw the rest of the chicken into the pot and started to wash his hands as he said, "We both know that's impossible." He dried off his hands and said, "Simon's coming over."

Olivia nodded. "I know, he called me," she said. "His wife wants to see the ring, and he wants to make sure I'm okay."

Elliot kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then her lips. "You're perfect," he said, smirking. "Absolutely perfect."

* * *

"Okay, so the rent's gonna be split evenly, and we should probably keep track of who's using what. I'm not paying for half of the cable if I never watch TV," Alex said, staring into the eyes of her new roommate.

He smiled and laughed at her. "I'm not paying for half the water if you're gonna take hour-long showers like someone else I know."

Alex rolled her eyes. "You wish you knew how long her showers were," she spat.

"Hey, I know," the man said, opening one of his boxes. "She took one at the station once, when we were all there late. I timed her."

Alex laughed. "You never really made it passed second base with her, did you?" she asked, smirking and folding her arms.

The man sighed and shook his head. "Every time I got close, she'd pull away. Then I fucked everything up with that last case, and she stopped talking to me altogether."

"Look," Alex said, "I'm gonna have a hard enough time finding my way back into their lives as it is. I'm not gonna help you break up her..."

"That's not what I want," the man said. "I just want her to talk to me again, and I want her to know that I was only acting out of the best interest of Stabler and..."

"Save it for her," Alex spat, rubbing her hands together. "Let's get this stuff unpacked, then go scare the shit out of neighbors."

The man, unpacking a box, said, "I don't want to scare them. I'm not here to get in between them, Alex."

Alex looked over at him and tilted her head. "Dean," she called, "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

* * *

Simon looked across the table at his sister and he smiled. "Olivia, Sarah has a ton of connections in this city. Banquet Halls, dress shops, anything you need."

"It comes with being a photographer," Sarah said, shrugging. "When did he ask you? How? Was it romantic?" she prodded holding out her hand for Olivia's, needing to see the ring.

Olivia chuckled, placing her left hand into Sarah's palm. "He asked, uh, kind of spontaneously. It was just the right moment for us, I guess. We both felt it happening, and yeah, it was really...it was the way it was supposed to happen."

Elliot eyed her lovingly, smiling at her.

"Soup's good," Kathleen said, attempting to change the subject. She did love Olivia, but she still felt things were happening way too quickly.

"Thanks," Olivia said, taking her hand out of Sarah's and taking a deep breath.

"That is a gorgeous ring," Sarah said, smiling brightly. "Where did you find it, Elliot?"

Elliot cleared his throat. "It was my mother's," he said quickly. He was leaving out the part where he was supposed to have given it to Kathy. "My father had it made for her. I, uh, just found it in a box of stuff. It looked like the perfect ring."

Simon nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "It's really...something," he said, getting up. "Excuse me. I have to make a phone call. I'll be right back." He wandered out into the hall and dialed a number into his cell phone, then waited for someone to pick up. "Hey, it's me. Yeah, uh, he gave her a ring. I know, you were hoping he wouldn't right away...look, I think you need to tell him. He's gonna go through the rest of his life thinking he was the reason his father...it's obvious he has some issues with it, he gave her the ring he had made for...now? No, not now! We're in the middle of dinner! Because you said you wanted to know everything!" He sighed and rubbed his eyes, waiting for the man on the other end to stop talking. "They are, yes. Incredibly happy. And those kids are...if Tucker doesn't I don't think you should. At least, not yet. Right, Don. Bye."

He snapped his phone shut and walked back into Olivia and Elliot's apartment, smiling. He couldn't let them know that he was talking to Cragen, and he certainly couldn't let them know that he knew another secret that could destroy them.

**A/N: What secret is Cragen keeping, and why does Simon know? What happens when Alex shows up at their door with Dean Porter? Do Olivia and Elliot start to make wedding plans, or is there even going to be a wedding to plan? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on their friends and neighbors. Reviews are always lovely :) Here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: What secret is Cragen keeping, and why does Simon know? What happens when Alex shows up at their door with Dean Porter? Do Olivia and Elliot start to make wedding plans, or is there even going to be a wedding to plan?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Morning, Munch," Olivia said, dropping her coffee and her jacket on her desk. "You're here early."

"Actually, I haven't left yet. Been here all night," Munch said.

Olivia looked at him, tilted her head, and asked, "Why?"

Munch shrugged. "I, uh, I thought I saw Alex. Yesterday. Walking into McCoy's office. I was coming out of a meeting with Donnelly, and…there she was. She looked right at me."

Olivia turned and looked at Elliot, who had just stepped into the squad room in time to hear that. He had a shocked look on his face. "That can't be a coincidence," she said to him.

Elliot nodded, sipped his coffee, and cleared his throat. "Hey, uh, Munch, man, Liv and I…we saw her, too."

"Here?" Munch asked, eyes wide.

"No," Olivia said. "At the apartment. At least, we thought it was her, but you seeing her at the courthouse…that has to mean something."

"Yeah," Munch sighed. "It means I miss her." He looked up at Elliot and asked, "What would you do if Olivia died, huh?"

Elliot felt physically sick. "I really don't even want to remember you asked that question," he said, swallowing back hard and closing his eyes tight. "God, Munch, what the hell? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You'd be seeing her face everywhere," Munch said. "I think…I think I might have…I'm still in love with her."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, quietly.

"Yeah," Munch said, scoffing with a smile, finding sad humor in his situation. "Elliot was the only one who knew. You would have told Alex, and Fin would have given me shit for it."

"I wouldn't have told Alex," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I couldn't even tell her I was in love with…" she paused, unsure of if it was safe to admit to Munch. "She didn't know how I felt about Elliot."

Munch saved her the trouble. "No, but everyone knew, Olivia. Everyone saw how you two looked at each other. It was only a matter of time," he said, gesturing to her left hand. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks," Olivia and Elliot said, together. Then they smiled at eacho ther, each thinking about how much they had to plan.

Munch nodded, looking back down at his paperwork, then they all heard Cragen's door slam open. Simon backed out of it, looking angry, and he said, "Either you tell him, or I will, Don! I can't keep secrets from him, he's gonna be my brother-in-law for fuck's sake! He has a right to know that you shot his father!"

"Woah, what?" Elliot yelled. He had gone completely white, his whole body was stiff. "What the hell did you just say?" he asked, still yelling.

"Shit," Simon hissed, his eyes closing, as he turned around slowly.

Cragen walked out of his office, his eyes wide. "Elliot?" he questioned cautiously. "You guys are here, uh, early."

"We're on time, not early," Elliot said, shaking his head. "And what the fuck are you talking about? Simon only has one sister, and I'm marrying her, so I'm gonna be his brother-in-law, meaning you were fucking talking about my father! You shot my father?"

Cragen sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face, shaking his own head. "Elliot," he began, "Could you come in here, please?" He jerked his head toward his office.

Elliot, silent but severely angry, grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled.

"She doesn't need to be in there," Cragen said, holding a hand up.

"I'm just gonna tell her anyway," Elliot said. "And she calms me down," he added. "You want me calm, don't you?"

Cragen thought for a moment, then nodded. He stepped aside to let them both in, then shot Munch and Simon each a glance before closing the door. This wasn't gonna be pretty.

* * *

"Damn it," Elliot spat, throwing his jacket over the back of the armchair as he walked into the apartment.

"El," Olivia said, closing and locking the door behind her, "Calm down. It's not…"

"If you're about to tell me 'it's not that bad," Elliot began, "Tell me, how the fuck would you feel if someone told you your mom was pushed down the stairs, she didn't fall?"

"Honestly?" Olivia asked, screwing up her face in frustration. She looked into his eyes, knowing he'd understand. "I'd be relieved. It would mean it wasn't her fault. It would mean she didn't have a choice."

Elliot let our a hard sigh and said, "You don't know the hell I've been through, thinking he shot himself, and thinking it was because of me!" He ran into the kitchen, grabbed a beer out of the fridge, and chugged half of it down before talking. "Cragen, of all people, shot him, Liv. Killed him."

"You heard Cragen," Olivia said. "He told you what happened. And you've done the same thing. How many times have you shot a perp when they aimed at one of us?"

"He wasn't…shit, Liv, My father was trying to kill his partner," Elliot said, not ready to believe it. "Cragen answered the call, my dad raised his gun to Cragen, and Cragen shot him. We're trained to shoot for the shoulder and the leg, to disarm and disable," he said, gesturing wildly with his left hand as the beer was clutched tightly in his right. "Cragen shot him in the goddamned head!"

Olivia walked over to him and pur her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him.

"Liv," Elliot sighed, "The medical examiner ruled it a suicide, because the gun was pressed against his temple. How is that standard protocol? Then Cragen, and my dad's partner, told everyone that my father shot himself because he felt guilty about hurting his fmaily, hurting me." He looked up into Olivia's eyes, and said, "That doesn't sound anything like what I've done in self defense. This was murder. Cragen fucking got away with murder."

Olivia began to rub and squeeze his shoulders, not sure of what to say to him. She kissed the back of his neck, and she heard him sigh again.

"Honey," Elliot whispered, "How can I work with him now? He's my boss, for God's sake. And I have to live upstairs from him, too," he said, shaking his head. "I'm friends…and neighbors…with the man who killed my father."

Olivia turned him around, gently, and said, "And you trust him, and his is the only story you have, so you have to believe it. I'm so sorry, baby."

Elliot dropped his forehead to hers and sighed again. "You…," he whispered softly, "You always know how to calm me the hell down. Why is that?"

"Because," Olivia said, pressing her lips to his lightly, "You're my partner, my best friend, and the man I'm gonna marry. I know you, El. I know how you work, and I know how to stop you from flying off the handle."

"Thank God for that," Elliot said, kissing her again. He brushed his hand lightly over her cheek, and she saw the tears in his eyes as he said, "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too," Olivia said, cupping his face. She kissed him deeply, caressing his face, then said, "You need to shave."

Elliot pulled away from her, laughing, and wiped the single fallen tear from his eye. "God, You really…" His sentence was interrupted when there was a knock on their door. "If that's Cragen, I'm gonna get mad all over again."

Olivia shook her head. "Cragen's at work, El. We came home after he told you…"

"Right," Elliot said, cutting her off, not wanting to be reminded. He walked over to the door and opened it, instantly slamming it, and walked back toward Olivia.

"Who was it?" Olivia asked.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna believe it," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the door. He pulled it open and Olivia gasped. Her hand squeezed his, almost reflexively, and she said, "Holy fucking shit."

"Hello, Olivia," Dean Porter said, holding up a bottle of champagne.

Alex, next to him, looked almost as white as Olivia did. "I think we should talk," she said.

"I don't believe in ghosts," Olivia said, staring at the blonde. She moved her eyes, only slightly, to Dean. SHe narrowed them and said, "I do, however, believe in complete and utter jackasses. What are you doing here?"

Porter sighed. "I live here," he said. "Across the hall. With Alex."

Elliot's eyes narrowed. "Wait," he said. "You two are…"

"No," Alex said. "Hell no! Just roommates. Jack McCoy told me that you two were, um, engaged?"

"Word travels fast," Elliot said, pulling Olivia closer to him. "We are," he said, nodding.

"Well, uh, we were gonna come by last night, but we had a lot of unpacking to do," Porter said, looking down. He finally met Elliot's eyes, glaring slightly, and said, "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Elliot said, smirking, knowing that, from Dean, it was an acknowledgement that he had lost, and Elliot had won.

"I know it's a shock and all," Alex said, "But can we come in? I don't think we should be having a full conversation in the hallway."

Elliot, his arms still around Olivia, pulled her toward him and stepped aside, letting Alex and Dean come in. "I'll get glasses for this," he said, taking the champagne out of Dean's hands. He noticed that Olivia was still staring at Alex. "Babe," he whispered, "Are you okay?"

Olivia shook her head, taking a deep breath, trying not to cry. "Al," she said, her voice breaking.

"Olivia," Alex whispered, her own eyes welling up with tears. The two girls moved closer, and found themselves in a hard hug, finally letting themselves cry.

Porter leaned over to Elliot and asked, "We aren't gonna hug, are we?"

Elliot made a choking noise. "Fuck no," he said. "You'll be lucky if I don't choke the shit out of you before you leave." He popped the cork, separating the girls and earning a tearful look from Olivia. He poured four glasses, handed them out, then took his rightful place by Olivia's side.

Porter raised his glass, smirking, looking suggestively at Olivia, and he said, "To old friends and new neighbors."

They all drank, unaware of the rollercoaster ride the afternoon would really be.

**A/N: What happens as the four of them catch up? What happens when another neighbor comes a'calling? And what happens when Munch finds out that Alex is alive? Should I write the next chapter? Tell me here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: What happens as the four of them catch up? What happens when another neighbor comes a'calling? And what happens when Munch finds out that Alex is alive?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Elliot and Olivia sat on the loveseat, snuggled as close as possible. Elliot loved the looks passing over Dean's face every time he touched Olivia, or kissed her, or looked at her, and it was clear he was gloating, rubbing Dean's face in it.

Dean sat back on the other couch, watching them cuddle and canoodle, and his eyes were glassy, he was pissed. Alex was babbling about where she was, why she came back, and about Munch, and when she stopped talking, Dean watched Olivia look up at Elliot.

"So that's it," Elliot said, refilling his glass, and Olivia's. He was looking at Alex, trying not to laugh at the scowl on Dean's face. "That's your whole story?"

"Pretty much," Alex said. "I wanna hear about this," she said, gesturing the two of them. "How and when did this happen?"

Olivia looked at Elliot and she smiled. "I couldn't tell ya, to be honest," she said. "He spent a few nights on my couch and…"

"And realized that I'd rather be in her bed," Elliot joked, interrupting her. He was elbowed in the ribs, laughed, and said, "In all seriousness, it just happened. We just realized that we make each other happy, and we needed to stop trying to force ourselves to be happy with other people."

"Like your wife," Dean snarked.

"Especially her," Elliot said with a scoff. "She was out of the picture before…that's not what this was, man."

Dean gulped down the rest of his drink and said, "Yeah, right. For the record, Olivia, I never put you on the backburner. You always came first."

Alex looked at Dean and glared. "Shut up," she said. She turned back to them and said, "I, uh, wanna know how you asked. How did he pop the question, Benson?"

Olivia chuckled. "It was very…Elliot. Spontaneous and impulsive. It was the right moment."

"That ring is gorgeous," Alex said with a smile. "I would have said yes, too."

"Actually, uh, I didn't give her the ring when I asked," Elliot said.

"You proposed without a ring?" Dean asked, stunned with a smug grin on his face. "That's, uh, wow, Stabler, you're an idiot."

"I told him to, Dean," Olivia said, her eyes narrow. "He was gonna ask, then he stopped. He told me he couldn't, ya know? Not without a ring. I told him to ask, and he did."

Before Dean could say anything, there was another knock on the door. "I'll get it," Elliot said. He kissed Olivia sweetly and got off the couch. As he opened the door, he felt sick. "What the hell do you want?" he asked. "Liv!" he called. "Come here, please!"

Olivia walked over and saw who was at the door. "What's up, Cap?" she asked, knowing Elliot wouldn't.

Cragen ran a hand down his face. "Munch is on his way up here," he said. "We got a call, and I needed to come get you in person. You need to tell me you were both here, all afternoon."

"What?" Olivia asked, confused. "Of course we were," she said, gesturing into their place. "I have two other people who will tell you that too."

"Porter?" Cragen queried, surprised. "And…is that…Alex?"

"Yeah," Elliot said with a nod. "We were pretty fucking shocked, too. Why do I need an alibi, here? I'm not talking to you, by the way."

Cragen cleared his throat. "Because the vic is Casey Novak, Elliot. She was found dead in her cell, obviously assaulted before she was killed. You have one hell of a motive, but it's clear you, uh, you didn't…"

"Cap," Munch's voice yelled as he ran down the hall. "Chief doesn't think Benson or Stabler had anything to do with this; he wants them on the case." He looked at the three people in front of him, staring, and he tilted his head. "What?" he asked.

"Hey, Stabler," Alex said, walking over to the door. "Who is…oh, my God," she whispered, seeing Munch over Elliot's shoulder.

Munch's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. He froze for a moment, then he averted his eyes. "Wow, uh, I'll be in the car," he said. He turned and walked away, heavy footed with a hung head.

Olivia watched him for a moment, then said, "We'll meet you both down…"

"Yeah," Cragen said, uncomfortable himself. "Okay," he huffed, walking away.

* * *

It had taken a few minutes to explain things, but once Dean and Alex had left, Elliot and Olivia got their guns and badges and made their way down to meet Munch and Cragen. "Munch," Elliot said, trying to smooth things over as he got into the sedan, "Man, it was a surprise to us, too. She just showed up. We were gonna tell you…"

"Save it," Munch spat. "We have work to do."

Elliot looked at Olivia and sighed. "Yeah," he said, shaking his head. "We do." The drive to the penitentiary was quiet and tense, and Olivia had never been happier to be at a crime scene. She practically flew out of the car as it came to a stop.

"Liv," Elliot called after her, "Liv, wait!" He ran to catch up to her, doing so as they crossed through the security doors. "You okay?"

"Uh, not really," Olivia said. "My dead best friend lives across the hall from us with my asshole ex, and now Munch knows about Alex and thinks we've been keeping it from him. We're at a crime scene investigating the rape and murder of the woman who almost raped and killed me," she said. "So no, I'm not really doing okay right now."

Elliot smirked a bit. "Munch is just shocked. He knows we would never really hide this from him," he said. "And we've had to deal with investigating the deaths of people we hated before. Just part of the job. Relax, Liv."

Olivia walked through the metal detector, then clipped her badge back to her hip. "Then I have to go home and deal with Kathleen…"

"Katie's not gonna say or do anything, Liv," Elliot said, taking his gun back from the guard. "Not tonight. She was pretty happy when she left this morning."

"Come on," Olivia said, walking toward the obvious scene, spotting Doctor Warner. "Let's just do this, okay?"

Elliot shook his head and followed Olivia, then looked into the cell. "Jesus," he said. "Someone was pissed off at her."

"Us," Olivia said, kneeling down. "But we didn't do it, so…who else would have this much of a reason to…"

"Cassidy," Elliot said. "She had her sister killed, and she was supposed to marry him. She did the same thing to him that she did to me, Liv. She took away the only thing he loved, that he couldn't live without out."

"You got me back," Olivia said.

Elliot knelt beside her, turned slightly, and whispered, "Yeah. That's why I didn't kill her. Liv, if she would have hurt you, in any way…"

"El," Olivia said, looking up at him, "I know." Her eyes closed for a moment and she said, "We should tell Cragen and go find Brian."

"You tell Cragen," Elliot said. "I'm not talking to him."

"Oh, Jesus, he's your captain!" Olivia harshly whispered. "You have to talk to him."

Elliot shook his head and took the preliminary notes out of Melinda Warner's hand. "No," he said. "I don't. I have an incredible partner who would love to all the talking, right?"

"Negative, my friend," Olivia laughed. She rose to her feet and turned, finding Elliot with a confused look on his face. "What is it?" she asked.

"Liv," Elliot began, handing her the paper, "How did this happen in a jail cell? We had to go through fucking hell to get in here and we're cops. Security in this place is ridiculous."

"You think it was an inside job?" Olivia asked, tilting her head as she read Melinda's findings. "A guard? Her cellmate?"

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I still think it was Cassidy, but I think he had a lot of help. We need to find out how he got it." He turned and walked away, heading for the security office.

Olivia shrugged, handed Melinda back her notes, and she followed Elliot. She hoped he was wrong, but part of knew, as it always did, that he was right.

**A/N: So is he right? Was it Cassidy? What will happen when Olivia and Elliot get home with the kids? How long will Elliot be giving Cragen the silent treatment? Find out, if you want more, leave a review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So is he right? Was it Cassidy? What will happen when Olivia and Elliot get home with the kids? How long will Elliot be giving Cragen the silent treatment?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Nothing?" Munch asked as Elliot and Olivia wearily walked out of the interrogation room.

"The only thing he gave me was a headache," Olivia mumbled, squeezing the bridge of her nose. "He swears he had nothing to with it, but he's always been an amazing liar."

Elliot looked at her funny. "What does that mean?" he asked. "When has he ever lied to you?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "Not now, Elliot," she spat. "Can we just get to work please?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "How do you know what kind of liar he is?" he asked. "According to you, you were only with him for one night. That's not long enough to lie..."

"Elliot," Olivia hissed. "We are not doing this here, okay? We are at work!"

Elliot shook his head and signed. "Fine. Whatever," he spat. "Any other leads?" he asked, turning to Fin.

"Uh, yeah," Fin said, handing Elliot a file. "Melinda found hairs on Casey's jumpsuit. Ryan ran them. Cat hair. Cassidy doesn't have a cat. Know anyone who does?"

"Yeah, but no one that would want to hurt…oh," Olivia said, popping her head up. "Oh, God," she groaned, running a hand down her face.

Elliot looked at her. "What? You got an idea?" he asked, his eyes still slightly narrowed.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Yeah, I do." She grabbed her keys, and Elliot followed her out of the squadroom, knowing where she was heading.

* * *

Sarah answered the door, and the first thing Olivia did was bend down to pet the tabby cat who'd crawled over to her. "Hey, Nibbles," she cooed, running her hand over the cat's back. "She's so friendly," she said, looking up at Sarah.

"She likes you, Olivia," Sarah said with a laugh and a smile. "What can I do for the two of you? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"We are," Elliot said, holding up his badge. "We, uh, we need to talk to Simon. Is he here?"

"No," Sarah said, shaking her head. "What's this about, Elliot?"

Olivia stood up, putting her hands in her pocket. "We need to talk to him, Sarah. Do you know where he is?"

Sarah bit her lip. "No," she said. "He should be working, but that means he could be anywhere. Olivia, as my sister-in-law, please, tell me what's going on?"

Olivia sighed. "I can't," she said. "When we find him, then I can talk to you."

"You think he had something to do with the death of that girl?" Sarah asked. "It's all over the news. The one who tried to…"

Elliot interrupted. "We just want to talk to him, Sarah. If he comes home, call us."

Sarah nodded. "Okay," she said. She closed the door as Olivia and Elliot left.

"That was slick," Elliot said, walking down the hall.

"What was?" Olivia asked, confused.

Elliot chuckled. "Petting the cat," he said. "You had clear tape on your hand. That's what you put in your pocket."

"You're one hell of a detective, El," Olivia said, smirking as they descended the stairs. She sighed and said, "Before, when I said Cassidy was a good liar…I meant because he had been telling everyone who'd listen that he and I were this incredible couple. He'd brag about this nonexistent sex-life we had, and people believed him. It was only one night, one time, and he blew it…"

Elliot breathed a sigh of relief and interrupted her. "Okay," he said. "That's all I wanted to know. I just…"

"You thought I lied to you," Olivia said, pushing open the front door to the building.

"What?" Elliot asked, stunned. "No! I just…you know me, Liv. I get jealous and overprotective and stupid."

"Yeah, ya do," Olivia said, nodding. She got into the driver's seat and waited for Elliot to get into the car. She started the car and said, "But it's all because you love me."

Elliot smiled as they drove back to the station. "You know I do," he said.

Olivia chuckled, looked at him softly, and drove, smiling, back to the precinct.

* * *

It was close to two in the morning when they finally walked into their own apartment. "I think you're driving Cragen crazy," Olivia said, hanging up her jacket.

"Good," Elliot said, yawning as he handed her his to hang as well.

Olivia took it, hung it up, and said, "You can't just ignore him, El. He can fire you, ya know?"

Elliot laughed. "I'd like to see him try it," he said. "I did my job, perfectly, without talking to him. It's not affecting my job."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but how long can you go on talking to him through me? 'Liv, will you please tell the man standing next to me that Ryan hasn't finished running the cat hairs yet."

"I don't sound like that," Elliot said, chuckling.

"Yeah, you do," Olivia laughed.

They heard a floor board creak, and they turned to see Kathleen standing a few feet in front of them. "Hey," she said. "I thought I heard voices."

Elliot smiled at his daughter. "You did," he said.

Olivia, unsure of what kind of mood Kathleen was in, backed up a little, away from Elliot. "We didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"You didn't," Kathleen said. "I was awake. I, uh, couldn't sleep."

Elliot sat on the couch, pulled Olivia down with him, and gestured to Kathleen to sit on the other side of her. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked, concerned.

Kathleen sat next to Olivia, then sighed. "I saw the news. The woman they found dead at the jail, that's the woman who had Liv, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Elliot said softly. He kissed Olivia's forehead, relieved that she was safe and nothing had happened. "Is that what's keeping you awake?"

"No," Kathleen said. "I just…I started thinking, ya know, what if she had hurt Liv? Like, really hurt her?" she asked, tears springing to her eyes. "I do love you, Liv. I'm so sorry. I don't want…I didn't want…"

Olivia sat up, turned, and hugged Kathleen. "Oh, honey," she said. "It's okay. I'm okay," she whispered, holding onto the girl. "I love you, too, Katie."

Kathleen sniffled. "I'm really sorry. I am happy about you and Dad, but sometimes I feel like I'm betraying Mom. So I try to be angry, like she'd want to me to be…"

"Wait, Katie," Elliot said, leaning forward. "You were never really mad at us?"

"In the beginning, yeah," Kathleen said. "But after a few weeks, I started to get used to the idea of Liv really being here, being our stepmom. I was a brat, I know it," she said. "And I'm sorry."

Elliot hugged his daughter. "Sweetie, it's okay," he said. "Just be honest with us from now on. No one expects you to feel anything, or act a certain way. Mom knows about me and Liv, and she's not okay with it, but that doesn't mean you can't be. Your mother never liked Olivia, you know that, but she knows you love her."

"I do," Kathleen said, nodding.

Elliot kissed Kathleen's cheek. "Go to sleep sweetie," he said.

Kathleen smiled. "I think I can, now," she said with a nod. She kissed her father's cheek, then Olivia's, then ran back into her bedroom.

"You feel better now?" Elliot asked, turning to Olivia.

"I do," Olivia said, nodding. She leaned in to kiss Elliot. Elliot grabbed the back of her neck, held her to him, and deepened the kiss. Olivia moaned and pulled away a bit, moving her head, licking behind Elliot's ear.

Elliot groaned softly, his eyes rolling back. "No, no," he said. "Not the ear, Liv. All of the kids are home, and Kathleen's not asleep yet."

Olivia chuckled into his ear, her hot breath turning him on even more. "Well," she whispered, "You're gonna have to be quiet, then, aren't you?" she teased, nibbling on his earlobe.

Elliot growled and turned, pulled her roughly into his arms, and said, "With you, that's impossible." He crashed his lips into hers, ran his hands down her body, and reached over for the blanket on the back of the couch. Just as he pulled the crocheted layer over them, he slid his hands up her shirt, grabbing at her breasts and tugging on her nipples through her satin bra.

Olivia moaned into their kiss, bucked her hips into him, begging for more. Elliot slid his hands down, ready to undo her pants and give her what she craved, but her phone rang. She eyed Elliot, who wasn't stopping and had a wicked look on his face, and answered it. "Benson," she grumbled with as much composure as she could. "What?" she questioned, suddenly pushing Elliot off of her and sitting up.

Elliot huffed, ran a hand down his face, and rolled his eyes. Of course something would interrupt them. "What is it, baby?" he asked, annoyed.

Olivia looked at him, said, "Thanks, Ryan," into the phone, and hung up. She took a deep breath and said, "Cat hairs I pulled off of Nibbles are a match to the ones they found on Casey."

"Shit," Elliot said, getting off the couch. "I'm sor…"

"Don't," Olivia said, getting up and walking toward the door. "Let's just…do this."

Elliot left a note for his kids, then made sure he triple locked the door as they left. Though, they were only going down the hall.

**A/N: Is it Simon? Or someone who was in Simon's apartment? The answers, and more Stabler Family Time. Just tell me if I should write it…here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Is it Simon? Or someone who was in Simon's apartment? The answers, and more Stabler Family Time.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. This story is the sole property of TStabler©**

"I don't know!" Simon yelled, getting frustrated. "I can't explain it! Nibbles is a feral cat! We let her out at night, maybe..."

"Simon," Fin said, tilting his head. "You live on the fourth floor. I don't buy that, man, and I doubt a jury will."

Simon scoffed. "She goes out the fire escape, man! She's a cat! Shit. My sister, my own sister, comes into my apartment in the middle of the night like the fucking Gestapo and tells me I need to come down here. I've been here for hours, it's five in the fucking morning! I'm missing work, my wife is pissed at me, and my sister thinks I killed...this is insane!"

"Calm down," Munch said, sitting next to him. "Just tell us how, and think hard, your cat's hair got onto Casey Novak's body."

"The only people who go anywhere near that cat are me, my wife, Olivia and Elliot, and...we had company a few days ago," Simon said, remembering. "Nibbles wouldn't get off of the guy's lap!"

"Who was it?" Fin asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

"A man...uh, he told me he was my father, he had all these pictures," Simon said. "He seemed nice."

Fin narrowed his eyes. "Your father," he said. "So that means he's Olivia's father."

"And Tucker's," Munch said, remembering the connections. "Do you know how we can find him?" he asked Simon.

Simon nodded. "Yeah, he, uh, lives in our building."

Fin and Munch looked at each other. "I'll call 'em," Fin said. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

"Seriously?" Olivia asked, mumbling into her pillow, which was Elliot's chest. "I just fell asleep," she groaned.

"Me, too, baby," Elliot grumbled. He ran a hand over his face, then shot out a hand, blindly searching for the phone. There was a knock on the door, then, too.

"I'll get the door," Olivia said, pushing herself off of him and looking around for her clothes. She pulled on Elliot's sweatpants and her tank top. "And I'll kill whoever is on the other side," she said and headed out of the room.

Elliot chuckled as he found the phone and answered it. "Stabler," he said. "Fin, what are you...what?" He got out of the bed and shook his head, waking up. "Oh, my God, Olivia isn't going to handle that well. Are you sure? Yeah, hold on." He moved his mouth away from the phone and asked, "Honey, who is it?"

"No one," Olivia said, walking back into the bedroom. "But this was out in the hall," she told him, an open box in her hands.

Elliot saw the look on her face and said into the phone, "Thanks, Fin. Yeah, I'll call you back." He hung up and stood up, not caring he was naked, and wrapped an arm around Olivia. "What's in the...is that you?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "I...I don't know who could've had these, El." She lifted one of the photos out of the box and turned it over. "Olivia, age three," she read off the back. "No one had pictures of me except my mother."

Elliot reached into the box, pulling up a newspaper clipping. "Hey, you were the valedictorian?" he asked, sounding proud. "You looked so beautiful, baby."

Olivia scoffed. "I'm wearing a blue circus tent and a flat cap that makes my head look funny," she said.

"But the look on your face, the pride, the self-confidence," Elliot said. "You're beautiful."

"Where did these come from?" Olivia asked, looking up at Elliot. "I know you know, El, that phone call..."

"Fin and Munch have been grilling Simon for hours," Elliot interrupted. "I don't know how to tell you this, but Simon told them...that your father might be living here. In this building."

The box fell and Olivia froze. One hand shot to her head and ran down her face. "Oh, my God," she whispered.

"Liv, baby, calm down," Elliot said. "Clearly, he doesn't want to hurt you. He's...been watching you, it looks like, and they think that he's the one..."

"Who killed Casey," Olivia said, completing Elliot's sentence. "Okay, uh, I need a shower, you need pants."

"You're wearing my pants," Elliot said.

Olivia nodded as she bit her lip. "Here," she said, pulling the sweats down and kicking them over to her. "The kids are gonna wake up soon, and I don't..."

"Liv," Elliot called to her, pulling her back into his arms. "Just breathe, baby," he whispered. "Just breathe."

* * *

Their day was long, they had more trouble concentrating on their case then they ever had because they were constantly thinking about Casey's case, Olivia's father, Simon's interrogation, and each other. They finally got home, a little after eleven o'clock, and ate the Chinese food the kids had saved fro them. Now, the family was in the living room, watching a movie and chatting, which was working to make Olivia and Elliot forget their problems. At least, for the moment.

"It is so weird around here without Maureen," Kathleen said, passing the popcorn to Dickie.

"Yeah," the teen boy said, scooping a handful of the snack into his mouth. "There's one less person in the house that drives me crazy. One down, two to go," he said, glaring at his twin sister as he handed her the popcorn.

Lizzie picked up a handful and rolled her eyes. "Ignoramus," she scoffed.

"Hey, if you're gonna insult me, can you please refrain from using dinosaur names?" Dickie said with a mouthful.

Lizzie stared at him blankly. "Like I said," she mumbled, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth. She passed the bowl to her father.

"She'll be home in two weeks," Elliot said, placing the bowl into the curve of Olivia's lap. He scooped some popcorn up, and said, "For good."

All three kids turned to look at him. "What?" they asked together.

Olivia and Elliot laughed and Olivia said, chewing, "She's moving home. She's transferring to NYU."

"Oh, man!" Dickie cried. "Can you two work on having another boy? I'm starting to feel like Jake Donnelly when he had to take that ballet class. The only Prince Caspian in a sea of Sugar Plum Fairies!"

"You're not the only guy!" Elliot said, sounding offended.

"Right, like you count?" Dickie said back. "Dad, you are responsible for all of the women in this house. I blame you!"

Kathleen laughed. "Hey, Dickwad," she said. "If they have kids now, we need to move. You really wanna pack up your stuff so soon after...I mean we just did it!"

Lizzie shrugged. "I wouldn't mind," she said. "If it mean more room for us, and room for a new baby, I'd be fine with having to meet some new friends."

"And new neighbors," Elliot said, his voice let Olivia know that it was an amazing idea. "We should start looking for a house! Tomorrow!"

Dickie folded his arms and said, "I'm not moving unless you can guarantee that the baby's gonna be a boy. If it's a girl, I am staying here and you can all move without me."

Olivia chuckled. "Relax, Dickie," she said. "I'm sure your father and I, when we do have kids, will have at least one boy."

"At least?" Kathleen said, looking back at her father and Olivia. "How many kids are you planning on having?"

Olivia shrugged and said, "However many we end up having, Katie. It's not up to us. Not really."

Elliot looked at her, grinning. "Are you actually saying that..."

"Yes, I am," Olivia said, interrupting. "I, uh, I know that's your policy, so..."

Elliot interrupted her, too, by kissing her. A salty, buttery, sweet and loving kiss. "I love you," he said to her.

Olivia smiled at him and let her head fall to his shoulder. "I love you, too," she whispered into his ear. She smirked and sucked lightly on his earlobe.

"Don't you guys have school in the morning?" Elliot asked, clearing his throat and shifting in his seat.

"Tomorrow's Saturday," Lizzie said, looking at her father.

"Oh," Elliot said, moving the pillow next to him into his lap. "Right," he said with a nod. He ran a hand down his face and looked at Olivia, narrowing his eyes. "Tease," he whispered.

Olivia chuckled and popped come popcorn into her mouth. She winked at him, and settled further into him. Elliot wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. They had resolved to pay attention to the movie when there was a knock on the door. Olivia looked at Elliot, raising an eyebrow, and he moved quickly, getting up.

"I'll get it," Elliot said. He stepped over his kids and walked toward the door. He opened it, and he tilted his head. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"You're Elliot," the man at the door said.

"Yeah," Elliot answered. "And who are you?" he asked, refusing to let the man inside.

The man scratched his head and said, "Uh, is Olivia home?"

"Who are you?" Elliot asked again, folding his arms and holding his stance.

The man sighed. "I'm her father," he said.

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "What do you want?" he asked. "And as much as we loved looking through that box..."

"I want to see her," the man interrupted. "Talk to her. She needs to know that I'm not a monster."

"No," Elliot said, smirking. "Just a rapist and a killer, right?" he asked gruffly.

The man hung his head. "I made a few mistakes in my youth, who hasn't?" he asked with a shrug. "I would like the chance to...wait, what do you mean, killer?" he asked, suddenly looking at him.

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "You have people looking for you," he said. "You killed her, didn't you?" he asked.

The man sighed. "I will answer all of your questions, and go wherever you need me to go, if you let me see Olivia," he said, nodding at the door. "Please," he begged.

Elliot looked down for a moment, smirking at the air vent in the floor by the door. "Yeah," he said. "Come on in," he offered. He knew that the moment those words were uttered, the man downstairs would be on his way up with his gun, ready to do whatever he needed to do to get this man away from his family.

**A/N: Will Cragen make it upstairs before anything serious happens? What does Olivia's father really want, and is he even really her father? Did he kill Casey? Why? Should I answer these questions? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Will Cragen make it upstairs before anything serious happens? What does Olivia's father really want, and is he even really her father?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. This story is the sole property of TStabler©**

The man claiming to be Olivia's father sat on the couch as Olivia and Elliot stared at him. The kids, under orders from their father, were in their rooms and were not allowed to come out. It was silent. Olivia had a skeptical look on her face, hiding the deep-rooted fear, mild excitement, and small amount of relief she was feeling. Elliot tried to grab her hand several times, but she kept pulling it away, not wanting to show any vulnerability to this man.

"Well," the man said, breaking the silence, "I guess I should start talking. Uh, my name is Joe Hollister. I knew your mother. She was a very beautiful woman. You look like her."

"I know," Olivia said. "Can we get to the part where you attacked her, then left town?" she asked, hatred in her voice.

Joe, as he called himself, shook his head. "It wasn't like that," he said. "I knew about you. All of you. You and Edward, and Simon. I tried to be a part of your lives. I was involved with Simon's mother for a very long time, until she started losing her memory. I couldn't handle that. Your mother, though, she didn't want me to have anything to do with you."

"Can you blame her?" Elliot asked, snapping.

"No," Joe said. "Not really."

Olivia tilted her head. "So, why are you here, exactly?" she asked. "I don't like you any more than she did. In fact, I think I may hate you more than she did She hated me because of you. Everything she did to me was because of you."

"You exist because of me," Joe said, suddenly getting irritated, almost angry.

Olivia scoffed. "Yeah," she said. "Exactly," she said under her breath.

Elliot heard her and looked at her, hurt. "What does that mean?" he asked.

Olivia shook her head and laughed bitterly, rolling her eyes. She ignored him and looked at Joe. "You came here to see me, to talk to me," she said. "Go ahead."

Joe cleared his throat. "You have to know I was a different person back then," he said. "I was sick. I've changed."

"I've heard that before," Olivia said. "I've heard all of those excuses before. Nothing you can say is gonna make what you did to my mother okay, so save it."

Joe sighed. "I realize that," he said, gritting his teeth. "You have to realize, though, that I am your father, and I want to be here for you, now that I can be."

"You think killing someone for me counts as being here for me?" Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes at the man.

Elliot turned to her, but before he could speak, there was a frantic knock on the door. He shot Joe a warning look and moved, rising off of the couch and walking to the door. He opened it, letting Cragen in. He still wasn't talking to the aging captain, so he silently led him into the living room.

Olivia looked up at Cragen and said, "Cap, this is my father, apparently." She shook her head, not believing her situation.

"Yeah," Cragen said. "Simon and Tucker told me about him. Mister Hollister, I need you to come with me."

Joe looked at Olivia with disdain in his eyes. "Can't even trust my own daughter," he said.

"Guess not," Olivia said, fighting the tears.

Elliot looked at Joe as Cragen took his arm. "She didn't ask him to come up here," he said. "No one did. He lives downstairs. These walls are pretty thin. I told you that people were looking for you." He grabbed his jacket and looked at Olivia. "Are you coming?" he asked.

Olivia nodded. "I've waited too damn long for this," she said. She ran into Kathleen's room to tell her they were leaving, then met Elliot in the hall, clutched his hand, and followed Cragen and Joe out of the building.

* * *

Elliot handed Olivia a cup of coffee and kissed her forehead as they stood behind the glass, watching the seemingly endless interrogation of Joe Hollister. He had refused to tell his story to anyone but Olivia, but when it was explained that she couldn't legally take his statement, not without jeopardizing her job, he agreed to talk to Fin.

"There's nothing they can do," Olivia said, shaking her head. "Statute of limitations is up on all three rapes, and he's not…"

"Liv," Elliot interrupted, "He's going down for murder. If he did it, if he confesses, he's going down for life."

Olivia sipped her coffee again. "Tucker knew, El," she said. "Tucker fucking knew about this man, and he said nothing. He found out about Simon when Joe started dating his mother, which means they had to know each other for well over ten years. When the hell did they find out about me?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

Elliot shrugged, sipping his own coffee. "Does it really matter, baby?" he asked.

"El, this is my life," Olivia said, turning to him. She pointed to the window in front of her and said, "That's my father! The man I've been looking for almost thirty years."

"And you did amazing without him for almost thirty years," Elliot said. "You did just fine, Liv. Look at your life! Look at who you are and what you are! What you've got! What we've got!" He looked into her eyes and said, "When you said you hated him because he's the reason you exist…shit, that killed me."

"My existence isn't that great, El," Olivia said, biting her lip and picking at her foam coffee cup.

Elliot brushed her hair back and said, "It is, baby. You do so much good for so many people, and you make the lives of everyone around you so much better." He shook his head and said. "I don't know what I'd do without you, you know that? I would die. I know you had a shitty childhood. So did I. It must have something to do with having asshole fathers named Joe. Your past sucked, but your present isn't that bad, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you have one fucking amazing future." He caressed her cheek softly and said, "We both will."

Olivia felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt his hand run down her arm. As long as they'd been together, she still was not used to someone loving her the way he did, so completely. "I know you will," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. "Seeing him…it was just so…"

"I know," Elliot said, holding her. "I just…God, baby, I never wanna hear you say you're sorry for being here again. If I didn't hate him for what he was, I would thank him for bringing you into this world. He may not be the ideal father, but he did the world a favor by giving you life. I'm sorry your mother had to suffer, and I'm sorry she took her anger out on you, but…"

Elliot couldn't finish speaking. Olivia's lips stopped him. Her hands slid up his face and wound into his hair, her body pressing firmly into his.

"Excuse me," a voice from the door of the pit called.

Elliot pulled away from her, nuzzled her nose once, and said, "Yeah," turning slowly. "Hey, Ry."

"Hi," Ryan O'Halloran, from the lab, said to them. He held out a piece of paper and said, "I thought you'd like to know, before I told Cragen."

Elliot took it, looked at it, then handed it to Olivia with a sigh.

Olivia took it, read it, and then looked at the window. "It's really him," she said, handing the DNA results back to Ryan. "Thanks," she said, sounding relieved. "At least…now I know. I can stop wondering. Stop looking."

Ryan tilted his head. "Detective Benson," he said. "For what it's worth, I've been studying DNA and genetics for years. The odds of you being anything like him are slim, especially considering how amazing you are already."

Olivia smiled at him. "Thanks, Ryan," she said.

"And adding in Elliot's equally moral genes, your kid's gonna be even less likely to be violent," Ryan said. "Unless provoked, of course. You two have wicked tempers."

Olivia and Elliot laughed. "Yeah," Elliot said. "We do." He stopped laughing, then looked at Ryan. "I'm sorry. What do mean, our kid?"

Ryan smirked. "I had to run an eight marker blood test, the fastest test we've got," he said. "It's a blood test."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Oh, my God," she said, one hand flying to her mouth as the other flew to her stomach.

"Ryan," Elliot said, "Don't mess around with this, man. Are you sure?"

Ryan furrowed his brow and opened his arms. "Have I ever fucked up in the lab, Stabler?" he asked with an attitude.

Elliot looked at Olivia, and they both let slow, wide smiles spread across their faces. Elliot let out a loud laugh and pulled Olivia into his arms. "I think we have to rush things now," he whispered to her.

Olivia blinked, chuckled, and said, "Yeah, just a little." She looked over at Ryan and said, "Thank you."

Ryan smiled at her and said, "Absolute pleasure. Just make sure the little rugrat knows who told you."

"Trust me," Elliot said, still grinning, "We will."

Ryan nodded, and then walked out. Elliot looked back at Olivia and pulled her close to him, kissing her. They had a lot of planning to do in a short amount of time, they had to deal with drama from their friends, nosy neighbors, and this issue with Olivia's father, and Elliot had to talk to Cragen, bringing up demons from his own past. He was willing to put his issues with his captain aside for the sake of his family, the new life he was bringing into the world with the woman he loved, and ask for a very big favor.

**A/N: What favor? How far along is she? A shotgun wedding is next! And how big of a role does Ryan play in their lives? Bigger than you think! Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Shotgun wedding! But how fast is it really gonna be pulled together? And Ryan is closer to them than you think. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns this story. **

"Isn't this rushing it?" Ryan asked, running after Elliot, through the courthouse.

"No," Elliot said. "See, I promised her that we'd be married before we had kids, so we kind of have to do this," he yelled over his shoulder, pushing passed people. "I've never broken a promise to her," he yelled, barreling over a garbage bin and pushing aside a man in a suit. "I'm never going to, either," he shouted, "So we're getting married!"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Welcome to the twenty-first century," he said. "You two can have a kid and not be…"

"No, we can't," Elliot said, hopping into an elevator.

Ryan squeezed into it as the doors were closing. "Right now?" he asked. "Are you sure you can pull this off?"

Elliot nodded, trying to catch his breath. "If Petrovsky is in her office, yes," he said. He waved a piece of paper around and said, "She has to sign this."

* * *

"He told you to do what before three o'clock?" Alex asked, trying to keep up with Olivia as they walked down a packed sidewalk.

"Buy a dress," Olivia said, heading for the door of a small bridal shop.

Alex followed as closely as she could, but got stopped at a crosswalk. "Olivia!" she yelled, annoyed. She waited, then walked, and by the time she got into the shop, Olivia had a dress in her hands and headed for the register. "Hey!" she called, "Never buy the first one you see that you like!"

Olivia turned toward her. "I don't really have time to browse," she said, her eyes wide. She checked her watch and cursed as she slapped down her credit card.

"You didn't even try it on!" Alex yelled. "You have to put in a little effort! This is your wedding dress, Benson!"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "I would, if that wedding wasn't in thirty minutes!" She picked up her card and scribbled her name on the receipt. Then, avoiding Alex's shocked face, she headed toward the door.

* * *

"Uncle Munch," Kathleen said, getting into the car, "What happened to them?" she asked.

Munch looked at the kids in the backseat. "Nothing," he said.

"Dad and Liv are okay?" Dickie asked, raising an eybrow.

Munch nodded. "Why?" he asked, smirking.

Lizzie leaned forward. "You came to get us out of school," she said. "You said it was about them. That usually means something is wrong," she said.

Maureen turned around from the front passenger seat. "Guys," she said, "They aren't in trouble. We just need to be there for this."

"For what?" Kathleen asked.

Maureen grinned and said, "Their wedding." She laughed at the three shocked faces staring back at her and turned back around, facing front, waiting to see her father finally make Olivia her mother.

* * *

"I don't think you heard me," Fin said, flashing his badge again.

"Look, Detective," the frightened florist said. "You can flash your badge and repeat yourself until you turn blue. It won't make me any less outta roses!"

Fin sighed. "What do ya got, that's like, uh, wedding-ish then?" he asked with a shrug.

The florist pointed. "Lilacs," he said. "Women love lilacs."

"I'll take 'em," Fin said, grabbing a large bunch. He threw a twenty down on the table and said, "Don't expect any favors from the NYPD."

* * *

Elliot ran into the judges chambers, aware he was interrupting a meeting. "Lena," he said, looking at Judge Petrovski. "Pardon the interruption, but can you...uh...I need your signature."

Petrovski looked at him. "Another last minute warrant, Detective Stabler? Now?"

"No, Your Honor," Elliot said. He placed the document in front of her and handed her a pen.

"A...marriage license?" Petrovski asked, shocked. "Shouldn't the clerk..."

"He was backed up," Elliot said, desperate. "We had all the forms, I gave him the cash, he said he didn't have time or the authority to sign it, but I told him I knew a judge who could."

"Detective," Petrovski said, looking at him. She opened her mouth, but Elliot stopped her.

"I really need you to sign that, Your Honor," Elliot pleaded. He looked at his watch. "Now, please," he begged.

Petrovski raised both of her eyebrows and sighed, then signed the paper. She handed it back to him, then said, "Congratulations. I think."

Elliot took the paper and ran, shouting, "Thank you!" over his shoulder.

* * *

Cragen was pacing back and forth in the lobby of the wedding bureau at City Hall. "He's got ten minutes," Cragen said, looking at his watch. "They stop performing weddings at three-forty-five."

The kids, all dressed up in clothes Olivia had brought for them, looked at the clock. "Uh," Dickie said, "Then he has five minutes."

Cragen looked up at the clock, then down at his watch. "Son of a bitch," he said.

"Hey!" Olivia yelled. "Can you please watch your language in front of my kids?" she asked.

Cragen smirked at her. "You are such a mother," he chuckled.

"Yes, I am," Olivia said, brushing Maureen's hair back as one hand rested on her belly.

"Is uncle Ryan coming?" Lizzie asked.

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Uncle Ryan? Ryan...O'Halloran...is Irish...how exactly..."

Kathleen interrupted. "He's dad's nephew, technically. Our aunt Eileen, his oldest sister, had him when she was sixteen."

Olivia raised both eyebrows. "Okay," she said slowly, letting it sink in. "Any other crazy relatives I should know about?" she asked, looking at Maureen.

"We have a second cousin in Scarsdale that thinks he's Elvis," Maureen said. "We can call him and see if he wants to sing at your reception."

The group chuckled as Olivia reminded everyone that they were not having a reception. "Not yet," she added. "Maybe later, we can have a little party or something," she shrugged.

There was a moment of nervous silence, then Dickie yelled, "Three minutes!"

The door swung open, and Elliot, out of breath and panting, in a suit, waved a piece of paper over his head and made some kind of hand gesture. Then he started coughing.

Ryan, behind him, laughed. "In Stabler speak, that means he got it signed. All systems are go on this wedding, people!"

The group cheered and Olivia stepped forward. She helped Elliot straighten up and fixed his tie. "We're really doing this," she whispered to him

Elliot nodded. "You look beautiful," he told her, seeing her in her dress. "Absolutely beautiful," he said, running a hand down her body lightly.

Olivia smiled softly at him as the clerk called them into the room. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"I've been ready for months," Elliot told her. "You guys ready?" he asked his kids.

"It was a bit of a surprise," Kathleen said, smoothing down her dress, "But this really is okay with us."

Maureen grinned. "More than okay," she said, waving at the door. "Go, go on!" she ushered, moving them along.

Cragen, Munch, Fin, Ryan, Alex, Simon, and his wife followed them into the room. Fin handed Olivia the bouquet of lilacs and winked at her.

"Lilacs?" Elliot asked, turning to Fin.

Fin rolled his eyes. "The man didn't have roses, and I only had five minutes to..."

Olivia sneezed.

"She's allergic to lilacs," Elliot said, chuckling.

Olivia waved a hand. "They're perfect," she said, holding the flowers in one hand and Elliot's hand in the other.

"Are you both ready?" the officiator asked, smiling.

Olivia and Elliot nodded. The man recited a memorized speech, and he asked someone for the rings. Ryan slapped a box into his hand and winked. The officiator opened the box and handed the rings to Olivia and Elliot. "Please, take your rings in your right hands," he said. Then asked, "Elliot, do you take Olivia to be your wife? Will you love, honor, and cherish her, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to her as long as you both shall live?"

Elliot smiled, beaming brightly at Olivia. "I do," he said with a small nod, slipping the ring onto her finger.

"And Olivia," the officiator spoke, "Do you take Elliot to be your husband? Will you love, honor, and cherish him, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to him as long as you both shall live?"

Olivia took a deep breath, trying to grasp the reality of what this moment really meant. Her whole life had changed in fifty-two minutes. "I do," she said, sliding the ring onto his finger, accepting the changes wholeheartedly.

The officiator smiled and said, "May you pledge to each other to be loving friends and partners in marriage. To talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate one another; to respect and cherish each other's uniqueness, and to support, comfort, and strengthen each other through life's joys and sorrows. May you promise to share hopes, thoughts, and dreams as you build your lives together. May your lives be ever intertwined, your love keeping you together."

Elliot chuckled softly and whispered, "Why should anything change now?"

Olivia laughed and sniffled, then shook her head. She knew that a lot of things were changing, but their relationship was not one of them.

"May you build a home that is compassionate to all," the man in the suit said, "Full of respect and honor for others and each other. May your home be forever filled with peace, happiness, and love And now, for as much as you have made your vows to each other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving your rings, I pronounce that you are husband and wife. Elliot you may kiss your bride!"

Elliot pulled Olivia toward him, and she sneezed. He laughed, ripping the flowers out of her hand and throwing them in the air behind him. He kissed her, slowly and lovingly, as a tear rolled down his cheek and his hand slid over her belly.

In front of their friends, family, and a few of their neighbors, they made their marriage legal and permanent, starting their new life together in a rather abrupt way. They knew, though, that other, more temporary parts of their lives, would be coming to just as abrupt an end.

**A/N: What ends? What favor did Elliot ask of Cragen? And do they finally move out of their extra-large apartment? That would, of course, mean new neighbors. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: What ends? What favor did Elliot ask of Cragen? And do they finally move out of their extra-large apartment? That would, of course, mean new neighbors.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belong to the mind, heart, and soul of TStabler©**

Olivia was sitting on the couch, curled up in Elliot's lap, nibbling on his earlobe, attempting to drive him crazy. "Nice of Kathy to take the kids for two weeks," she whispered, pulling on the flesh of his ear.

Elliot groaned. "Hmm," he hummed in agreement. He wasn't really listening. His hands wear roaming over Olivia's body, picking at the material of her shirt as if he was trying to decide to prolong the glorious torture of what she was doing, or rip the tank-top clean off of her.

"Two whole weeks," Olivia whispered with a nibble. "No kids, we can come home to an empty apartment, and it won't matter where we end up or how loud we get," she cooed as she dropped her lips lower, behind his ear.

Elliot moaned, dropping his head to the side with a wicked grin on his face. "You're trying to kill me," he decided, running his hands up and down her legs now.

Olivia shook her head, her hair falling and brushing along his skin, driving him even closer to insanity. "No," she whispered.

Elliot pulled her legs apart, tugging one over his waist, forcing her onto his lap. He wrung his fingers into her hair, twisting and curling her waves around her digits as he pulled her mouth away from his neck and latched onto her lips. "Death," he mumbled. "Slow, painful death."

Olivia chuckled and moved her hips, rolling into him. They both let out loud moans, knowing there were no children around to hear them. "What a way to go," Olivia said, her mouth pressed against his.

"I bought a house," Elliot said, sliding one of his hands up Olivia's shirt as the other held her lower back down, forcing her to rub against his aching hardness.

After a low groan and a pant, Olivia finally realized what he said. "What?" she asked, stopping all motion.

Elliot, smirking, unclipped her bra and gripped the straps of it and her tank-top, pulling both off of her. "You are so fucking sexy," he mumbled, dropping his head to her neck with a small growl.

"Woah, cowboy," Olivia said, pushing him back against his seat, off of her.

Elliot chuckled. "I love it when you get forceful," he said. "Get your cuffs, we can play 'Good-Cop-Bad-Cop.' You can be the bad cop."

"Right now, we're playing 'Why-the-Fuck-Would-You-Say-That-Right-Now-Elliot," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You bought a house."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "Heard that, huh?" he asked.

"You're very distracting, baby," she said. "You make me go temporarily stupid sometimes, but not completely deaf!"

Elliot sighed. "Yeah," he said, caressing her back slowly, lovingly. "I bought a house. I figured, ya know, with a baby on the way, and Maureen moving back home, you would want to move out of…"

Olivia cut him off. "Is there anything else you did?" she asked, shifting her weight and perching herself more centered on him. She slid her hand up his shirt and raked her nails down his chest. "Anything else you did without asking me first?" she questioned, loving the soft moans and the look in his eyes.

Elliot nodded. "You know," he said, "Don't you?"

"I know," Olivia said. "Why would you do that?" she asked, tilting her head. "Why would you do that without asking me, or talking to me?"

"I knew what you'd say," Elliot sighed, dropping his forehead to hers. "You'd try to tell me not to fight it, that we knew we'd have to do it eventually, you'd be the bigger person. Baby, I can do other things, you can't. Your heart lies with Special Victims." He looked up and said, "But I can't have other partners, you know that. It's either you or I work alone. This was the only way I could get us out of having to choose, and having only one of us end up happy." He kissed the end of her nose and asked, "If you knew, though, why didn't you say anything? How did you even find out?"

Olivia pulled his shirt off, tired of fighting with the cotton, smirking at the way he didn't fight her. The way they didn't fight each other. "Cragen told me," she said, putting her hands back on his chest, feeling the muscles beneath her palms twitch at her touch. "I didn't say anything because I was waiting for you to tell me. I know what it took for you to go to him, El, and to ask for that kind of favor…"

"He owed me," Elliot interrupted. "You don't get away with killing a man's father and not eventually have to give him something in return, ya know."

Olivia chuckled. "I'm proud of you for that, by the way," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

Elliot kissed her back wholeheartedly. "For what?" he asked. "Pulling off a wedding in less than an hour? Staying mildly civil with my bitchy ex-wife so she'd take the kids when we need her to and not claw my eyes out when I got re-married? Being awesome?"

"All of the above," Olivia laughed, kissing him again. "I'm proud of you for handling things with him the way you did. You could have…"

"I know what I could have done," he said to her.

Olivia smirked at him. "You know everything, don't you?" she asked, remarking on his last few statements. "Yeah, you could have made things a hell of a lot worse, but you didn't. You stayed calm, or as calm as you could, and you just chose to ignore him, until you couldn't anymore."

"For you," Elliot said. "I controlled myself for you, baby. I know what he is to you, and I couldn't really hurt him, though I wanted to, trust me, knowing it would hurt you. I will never do anything if I think it may, even in some small way, hurt you."

Olivia pecked his lips, then peppered his neck and chest with kisses. "I know," she whispered. "That's one of the reasons I actually married you," she said honestly.

Elliot moaned as he felt Olivia flick her tongue over his nipple. "Damn, baby," he seethed, when she bit down, then sucked. He wrapped his arms around her back and twisted their bodies, lowering them flat on the couch. "When the kids come back from Kathy's we'll start packing," he said. "We don't need to take the furniture," he said, mumbling against her neck as his hands slid into her pants.

Olivia lifted her hips to help Elliot slid her flannel pajama pants off, and asked, "Where's the house?"

Elliot smirked, looking her in the eyes, and he winked as he said, "Queens."

Olivia furrowed her brow, wondering why he was winking, but when his fingers hooked into her panties and he began to slide them down, she relaxed her eyes and asked, "Glenn Oaks?"

"Yep," Elliot answered bluntly. He straightened up to his knees when Olivia moved to get him out of his sweatpants.

"You didn't buy your old house," Olivia said, not sure if he did or not.

Elliot shook his head, still grinning smugly as he lowered himself onto Olivia. He kissed her and whispered, "It's the house next-door."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Kathleen asked, looking at the moving fan in the neighbor's driveway.

Kathy nodded. "Just…curious as to who bought that house," she said. "They were asking a fortune for it. It's huge."

Kathleen smirked and folded her arms. "Dunno," she said with a shrug. "What if it's some cute, newlywed couple? What if all they do is, like, hang on each other and have loud, passionate, animal-monkey-tiger-sex? Isn't that just gonna make you sick?"

Maureen hit her sister in the shoulder and chuckled. "So wrong," she whispered, looking back at Kathy. "It would," she said, "Wouldn't it?"

"Pretty much," Kathy said with a shudder. She sighed. "Look at the furniture coming out of that truck," she said with a shake of her head. "I've seen nice furniture, but the couches they brought in there? Looked like leather with cherry legs, and the end tables? Cherry wood and glass. Same with the coffee table. And everything has these modern, smooth, rounded edges. Oh, God, is that a crib? That's all I need," she griped.

Maureen, amused, asked, "Wait, living next-door to a couple with a baby is gonna bother you?"

Kathy turned around and said, "Maureen, the only thing that would bother me more is if the people who bought that house turned out to be your father and that insipid, insufferable, partner of his." She turned and looked back at the delivery men and the gorgeous furniture, sighing and shaking her head. "Especially since that was _definitely_ a crib," she said, gritting her teeth.

Maureen and Kathleen looked at each other and chuckled. "Should we tell her?" Maureen asked.

"No way," Kathleen said. "This is way too funny. I can't believe Daddy would do this just to…"

Maureen interrupted. "Hey, he said she's not the only reason," she said, holding up a hand. "Yeah, he wants to make her realize that all those e-mails and letters and things she's been sending are never gonna get an answer, but he also really wanted that house. This is a great neighborhood; we all already know all the people here and our friends are gonna be glad we're back. Dad did this for us, not just to get even with the crazy one."

Kathleen sighed. "Yeah," she said, "I guess so."

"Oh, my God," Kathy cried, still staring out the window. "Is that a queen-sized canopy bed? I begged your father for one of those…for years. I hate these people already."

"Dad was right," Maureen said with a shrug. "She really is gonna be the neighbor from Hell." She turned back and saw the aggravated expression on Kathy's face and said, "I'm gonna love being home."

**A/N: Welcome to the neighborhood! What is Kathy gonna do when she realizes it IS her ex-husband and Olivia? What will Olivia do when she accidentally opens Elliot's e-mail at work? And speaking of work…what favor did Cragen do for them that solved their problem? It comes with a name-change, and a new partner for Olivia! Next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: ****What is Kathy gonna do when she realizes it IS her ex-husband and Olivia? What will Olivia do when she accidentally opens Elliot's e-mail at work? And speaking of work…what favor did Cragen do for them that solved their problem? It comes with a name-change, and a new partner for Olivia!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia had been sitting behind her desk for an hour, waiting for an assignment, a call, a shitload of paperwork, something from Cragen. She looked from her computer screen to the empty desk across from her, for the eleventh time, and she sighed.

"Miss him?" Fin asked, smirking.

Olivia nodded with a small smile.

"He'll be around," Fin said, getting out of his seat for coffee. "You know he'll find every excuse in the damn book to get his ass down here," he told her.

"Yeah," Olivia sighed, sipping a bottle of water. She shrugged. "Just not used to not seeing him…right there…ya know?"

Fin squeezed her shoulder and handed her a cup of coffee, which she politely refused, confusing him. He shrugged it off and sipped it as he sat in his chair.

Olivia sighed again, ran a hand down her face, and signed into her e-mail, and her eyes widened. "What the hell…" she trailed off as she clicked open several messages from Kathy.

"What?" Munch asked, sipping his own coffee.

Olivia felt queasy, and she knew it was too soon for morning sickness. "I have to go," she said. She grabbed her jacket. Hit a few keys on her keyboard, grabbed the papers as they flew out of the printer, and ran out of the bullpen.

The corridors at One Police Plaza were freshly painted, and the fumes were getting to her, but she ran through the halls like a mad woman, choosing to take the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. She held up her badge to the receptionist when she got to the office, and ignored the woman when she rose to tell her she couldn't go in.

She pushed the door open and tossed the papers onto the desk, folding her arms. "What the fuck is that?" she asked.

"Good morning to you, too, honey," Elliot said, looking up at Olivia. He glance to the man in the chair in front of his desk and said, "Excuse us a second, Ed."

Ed Tucker nodded and got out of his seat, leaving the couple alone.

Elliot, annoyed, spat, "Liv, what the hell are you…"

"She's e-mailing you?" Olivia interrupted. "Sexy, seductive, e-mails!"

Elliot got up from his chair and walked around to her, putting his arms on her shoulders. "To which I have never responded," he said. "I'm keeping them to give to my lawyer, for a harassment suit, baby. Calm down."

"Is that why we're moving next door to her, El?" Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Elliot sighed. "Liv, the house I bought…I've been in love with that house for years, and I wanted to get my kids back to a place they felt comfortable, and as much as I despise Kathy for what she's done and what she's doing, she has a right to be close to her kids. And yeah, part of me thinks making her watch us live our perfect, happy life is going to be sadistic, cruel, and a lot of fun, but it's not the only reason."

Olivia ran a hand over her belly, bit her lip, and shook her head. "I don't like the fact that she's sending you…"

"I haven't even read them," Elliot assured her. "She texts me, too, but I ignore her, baby. The only person I want sexting me is you." He smirked and leaned in to kiss her. His lips landed on her cheek. "Okay," he sighed, "Now you don't wanna kiss me? Why?"

Olivia looked down. "I miss you," she said softly. "It's weird, you should be there, and I don't…"

"We talked about this," Elliot interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Olivia nodded. "I know, but I don't know if we made the right choice, here."

"Too late now," Elliot said, tossing his hands up. "Ed retired, Fin's moving everything as we speak, Cragen's processing your forms…"

"Fin?" Olivia interrupted. "Why would Fin be moving his stuff?"

Elliot smirked. "You can't expect him to talk to you from across the room," he said.

Olivia's smile started to grow a bit. "Wait, are you telling me Fin's my new partner?" she asked, tilting her head.

Elliot chuckled. "You thought I'd leave you with some rookie? Yeah, leave my pregnant wife with someone I don't even know? My ass, Liv," he scoffed. "You're working with Fin, Detective Stabler."

"Detective…what now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot kissed her, getting her lips this time. "I'm not there anymore," he said. He kissed her again and whispered, "You're Detective Stabler now," he said against her lips. "And I'm Sergeant Stabler." He tugged at her shirt and said, "How'd you like to break every fucking rule in the book and fuck your IAB rep on his couch in the middle of the day, Detective?"

Olivia chuckled as he leaned into her, pressing her into the leather. "You have a waiting room full of people out there," she whispered, slapping his hand away from her jacket.

"What are they gonna do?" Elliot asked, smirking. "Call the Sergeant? Oh…wait," he rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. He bent his head to kiss her and laughed against her lips.

"Get back to work," Olivia moaned, feeling his hand work its way between his legs.

"I am working," he mumbled.

Olivia moaned again, giving in and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Guess being the boss has its perks," she whispered as Elliot's mouth moved from her lips to her neck.

Elliot nodded, peppering her with soft kisses. "Sure does," he said. "Love you so much," he whispered, running his hands down her body, caressing her belly. "Both of you," he breathed. "How could you even think that I was…"

"I didn't," Olivia defended. "I thought you were planning to get even with her, and I wasn't gonna put our child in the middle of some war of the exes. But as long as she's not the only reason we're moving back there, then I guess letting you play your little game couldn't hurt."

"Oh, please," Elliot said, narrowing his eyes. "You want to rub her nose in it as much as I do. You want to kill her, don't you?"

Olivia's face screwed up into a scowl. "If she writes you one more e-mail, I will rip her head off with my bare hands."

"Thought so," Elliot said, kissing her. He smiled against the kiss and tugged on her shirt, but was stopped when there was a knock on the door. He groaned and rolled his eyes, sitting up. He helped Olivia up, straightened her shirt out, and kissed her again, then laughed when she reached up and wiped the lipstick off of his mouth.

She winked and nodded at him, wiping the corners of her own lips.

"Come in," Elliot said, rising off the couch.

Ed Tucker walked back in, looked once at Olivia, and said, "Can we get back to work, here, Stabler?"

Elliot smirked. "Yeah," he said. He looked at Olivia, gave her a wink, and said, "I'll see you later, Stabler."

"Right back at ya, Stabler," Olivia returned. She gave Ed a nod, thinking how she wasn't going to miss him at all, and walked out of Elliot's office with a smile on her face.

* * *

Kathy Stabler, standing on her porch, looked over at the house next door. She eyed the gardener and painters with suspicion, watched movers carrying more furniture into the house, and she grumbled. "Rich bastards," she mumbled.

"Hardly," Maureen said, stepping out onto the porch behind her.

"What are you doing home?" Kathy asked, turning around.

Maureen smirked. "I don't have any classes today," she said. "What are you doing home?" she asked.

Kathy sighed. "I lost my job," she said. "Hospital let a lot of people go."

Maureen tilted her head. "You sure they didn't fire you because they caught you sending x-rated e-mails to Dad?" she asked, handing her mother a cup of tea.

Kathy took the mug with a scowl on her face. "Watch it," she said.

"No, Mom. You watch it," Maureen warned. "Dad's happy. He is with Liv, who we all do call 'mom' now, so don't be surprised if you hear us calling her that. Can't you just…"

"I don't have to hear you calling her anything," Kathy said. "And whatever I say to your father is my business."

"Has he responded?" Maureen asked, narrowing her eyes. "He's over you, Mom. Can't you see that?"

Kathy shook her head. "You can't just throw eighteen years away, and move on to someone like…someone like her."

"You threw him away," Maureen reminded her. "And he moved on to someone who was there for him, someone who supported him, and held him up on the pedestal you know he needs to be on. You know Dad needs to feel like the king of the world sometimes, and he found someone who deserves to be his queen. She is everything to him, she has never doubted him, never made him feel like less of a man, and never tried to change him."

Kathy scoffed. "He needs to change," she said, sipping the tea.

"No," Maureen said. "He doesn't. He needed to find someone who saw that, and he did. When you left, you gave all of us a second chance. He took his, we took ours. You need to take yours."

"I'm going to," Kathy said. "With your father," she added with a smile.

"Damn it, Kathy!" Maureen yelled. "He is married! Happily married! To someone who really loves him! And if you do anything to come between them, if you even try, I swear, you will have five very angry children to deal with."

Kathy looked confused. "Four," she said.

Maureen smirked. "Give it eight months," she said.

Kathy's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "Oh, no," she gasped. "You're not…you can't be…she isn't!"

"She is," Maureen said. "And he is ecstatic. You should see his face light up when he talks about the baby, when he looks at her, when he makes faces and touches her belly. He's more into it with her than he ever was with you. Do you know why?"

"Don't you dare say it," Kathy hissed, pointing a finger at her oldest child.

"He loves her more than he ever loved you," Maureen said. "He did love you, Mom. I'm not saying he didn't. But you changed. You grew up, and you grew apart, and you changed. You got married because you had to, not because you wanted to, you know that." She softened her eyes and looked at her mother. "Can you just…please, try to be friends? Try to get along, and be good friends, good neighbors, for our family's sake?"

Kathy sniffled and shook her head. "I don't know if I…neighbors?" she asked, suddenly snapping her head to the house next door. "Oh, my God."

**A/N: Maureen slipped. Uh-oh. Next: Olivia and Elliot get some time alone at home, and things get a little…kinky? Oh my. And when they move into the house, their friends and neighbors give them a welcoming they won't soon forget.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Maureen slipped. Uh-oh. Next: Olivia and Elliot get some time alone at home, and things get a little…kinky? Oh my. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Can I open my eyes?" Olivia asked, being led into unknown territory by Elliot.

"Not yet," Elliot said, keeping one hand over her face and the other on her hip, guiding her. "Watch your step here," he said, holding onto her as they ventured further, an uneven floor making her trip and fall into his arms. "I told you to watch your step," he laughed, kissing her while he had the chance.

Olivia moaned into his kiss, pulled back, and said, "I can't watch my step with my eyes closed."

"Open 'em then," Elliot whispered, pulling her up.

Once she righted herself, Olivia opened her eyes and gasped. "Who the hell lives here?" she asked, looking around at the luxurious living room.

"We do," Elliot said with a small laugh. "A lot of this stuff belonged to my parents. We kept it in storage until…well, until now, I guess."

"This is...this is so beautiful," Olivia said, walking further into the space, running her hand along the polished surfaces.

Elliot closed the door behind him, then walked over to Olivia. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Welcome home, baby."

"You got Cragen to give me an extra hour for lunch just to show me this?" Olivia asked, turning in his arms.

"I can make that man do anything," Elliot said, winking at her. "But I really wanted the extra time to show you something else." He narrowed his eyes and brushed his hand lightly down her back. "Upstairs," he said, his voice low and dark.

* * *

From her bedroom window, Kathy saw a light turn on in the house next door. "Elliot," she said to herself, a smile playing at her lips. She walked over to the window and peered out, only seeing his silhouette in the curtains across the way. "Alone, are you?" she asked, smirking. She ran to her closet, changing quickly, then walked out of her room and into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of wine off of the top shelf in her cabinet, then chuckled as she walked out of her front door.

* * *

"Third door to your right," Elliot said, still holding onto Olivia's hips.

Olivia chuckled in girlish excitement, put her hand on the knob, turned, and pushed. "Holy…wow," she said, her eyes widening. "El, that bed is…"

"Incredible," Elliot finished. "I know," he laughed. "Go sit on it, then tell me how much you love me," he whispered into her ear.

Olivia walked over and hopped onto the bed, kicking off her shoes as she did, and her eyes rolled as she fell back flat. "This has to be the most comfortable…oh, hello," she said, suddenly looking into Elliot's eyes.

He had cralwed over her, grinning like a fox, and dropped his head to kiss her. "Hello," he whispered. He moved over her, his hands grabbing at the material of her shirt. "how much do you love me?" he asked, a cocky grin on his face.

"More than you could ever possibly know," Olivia said, kissing him as she moved to allow him to remove her shirt.

Elliot laughed again. "Notice anything?" he asked, kneeling now, one leg on either side of her as he pulled the cotton off of her.

"You're trying to seduce me," Olivia said, "And it's working."

Elliot chuckled and shook his head. "Besides that," he said, taking his tie off, unbuttoning his shirt, moaning as her hands reached up to help him.

Olivia tilted her head, helping him discard the blue button-down, and she said, "No noise."

"Not a single squeak, scrape, or scratch," Elliot said, leaning down again, pressing his chest to hers. "Now if you could control what comes out of your mouth," he warned, pushing her black slacks over her hips, shoving them down, "We will never have to worry about the kids hearing anything."

Olivia kicked her legs, helping him get the pants off of her, and she reached for the button on his own pants. "Me?" she questioned. "Have you heard yourself lately?" she teased.

Elliot laughed. "Okay," he said, nodding as he rolled over onto his back and let her take his boxers off, "We both have to learn how to be quiet."

Olivia, underwear clad, straddled his now-naked body. "Not right now, we don't," she said, teasing him with her fingertips. "We don't have to worry about that for another week."

Elliot grinned and pulled her down by the back of her neck, kissing her, then he rolled her over and fingered the waistband of her panties. "First time in our own bed, in our own bedroom, in our own house," he mumbled as he kissed his way down her chest, sliding the material down her legs as he moved.

"Yeah," Olivia moaned.

Elliot kissed her legs, thighs, stomach, rubbing her belly slightly, and laved at her nipples on his way back up. he felt her reaching for him, but he grabbed her wrists. "You can't touch me, baby," he said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Olivia laughed. "Are you really…"

"I am," Elliot interrupted with a nod, slapping a handcuff around her wrist. "Very serious," he said, hooking her arms through the headboard's posts.

Olivia wasn't laughing anymore. He had mentioned that this was a fantasy, something he'd wanted to do, with her. He wanted to be in complete control of her, torment her, drive her mad, and then make her give him what he wanted. She smirked, realizing what he was playing at, and said, "Well, detective, aren't you gonna read me my rights?"

Elliot's eyes darkened as he unclasped her bra, thankful it was strapless, and pulled it away from her body. "You have the right to remain silent," he said, dropping his head to her neck. He bit and sucked, then said, "But please, for the love of God, give up that right."

* * *

Kathy noticed the moving van in the driveway, but didn't see any movers. She saw Elliot's car, tilting her head slightly, thinking it looked newer. Somehow, it looked more expensive than it had when they were married. She shrugged it off and walked up the path to the front door, knocking.

When she didn't get an answer, she tried the knob, and it creaked open. She grinned, seeing the locks hadn't been properly installed yet. She crept into the house, looked around, and died a little. Everything she had ever wanted, the furniture Elliot refused to take out of storage for her, the elegant chairs and tables and decor, were all staring at her. Mocking her. She frowned a bit, then heard a thump from above. "Elliot," she whispered to no one, and smiled. She headed for the stairs, hoping she would finally convince him that he made a mistake by letting her go.

* * *

Elliot wasted no time, getting down to business, taking his rightful place on top of his lover. He was thrusting hard into her, one of her legs hooked over his arm, the other extended flat on the bad. He loved the way she looked; her head was thrown back and she was moaning, delicious and glorious sounds. He noticed her hands twisting, straining against the metal bracelets, and he chuckled. "Having fun?" he grunted, bending over, looking her in the eyes.

"Uncuff me," she demanded, holding his gaze. She let a louder moan escape, and watched as Elliot shook his head.

"Surrender, Benson," Elliot said, pressing his lips to hers. He ran his tongue over her lips, begging her to open her mouth, and when she did, he deepened the kiss and his thrusts. "Cum," he whispered against her lips.

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and arched her back. "Oh, shit, Elliot!" she yelled, feeling her first orgasm rip through her.

Kathy, on the stairs, heard the scream and stopped. Her eyes widened. "No," she spat, "He's supposed to be alone." Curious, though, she kept climbing. She followed the loud grunts and moans and made it to their bedroom door, and stood before it, listening. He had never sounded anything like that with her, and she had never made any of those noises with him. "What the…" she broke off, her hand grabbing the knob before she even knew what she was doing.

Why she wanted to see it, subject herself to it, was a mystery, but she did. She turned the knob slowly, and when she pushed the door open, bringing the erotic sight into view, she covered her hand with her mouth to keep from cursing.

Elliot, oblivious to his new audience, kept up his frantic pace. "Shit, baby," he said, "God, I need this. I need you. Always need you." His head fell to her shoulder as he hit into her, lifting her leg higher. "Always," he whispered again.

"El," Olivia moaned, her body writhing more than usual, the lack of contact with him driving her crazy. "El, please," she moaned, biting her bottom lip. She looked into his eyes and saw the dark, swirling pleasure and passion in them.

Elliot shook his head. "Without touching me," he breathed, slowing his motions a bit. He skimmed his hands down her body, as Kathy watched, and caressed every curve, loving every inch of her. "I wanna watch you," he declared, his hands finally resting on her hips.

Kathy was biting her tongue so hard she drew blood, the throbbing between her legs growing painful, as she watched the ex-husband she still had feelings for and the woman she despised in the most passionate, primal act of love she'd ever witnessed. She blinked once, then stepped forward to get a better look as she noticed Elliot's hand moving lower, working its way between their bodies.

Elliot brushed his thumb over Olivia's swollen clit, making her cry his name loudly. "I can't…" she complained, her head thrashing from left to right.

"You can," Elliot grunted, moving harder and deeper as his thumb and forefinger latched onto her bud. "You will," he told her, pinching her clit, then flicking his thumb over it rapidly.

Kathy was stunned, amazed, and enraptured by what she was watching. The noises they were making, loud and animalistic, murmurs of love amidst gasps and unintelligible, grunting moans, went right through her like nails on a chalkboard. She had never heard or seen anything like it, and she couldn't look away no matter how much she may have wanted to.

Olivia sucked in a breath and let out a cry of his name that rang through the house. She clamped down hard around him, and if hadn't been for the cuffs she might have flown clear off the bed. "Elliot!" she cried, his name again, as she bucked her hips, meeting his hard, fast, final thrusts.

"Baby," he grunted, finally allowing himself to dive off the cliff with her, spilling into her, shooting as hi thrust three more times. "God, baby," he gasped, dropping his head to hers. He stilled, resting inside of her, his breathing heavy but his touch still feather-light. He caressed her body again, trailing his fingertips up her sides, making her twitch. He turned the key in the cuffs, releasing her, and her arms fell limply to the mattress above her head. "Are you all right?" he chuckled, kissing her lips.

Olivia was quick to deepen the kiss, finding the strength to bring one hand to the back of his head, lovingly running her nails over his scalp and through his hair. "Yes," she whispered.

Elliot moved, making Olivia whimper slightly. "We should get back to work," he said, taking his cuffs back.

Olivia nodded and something in the doorway caught her eye. "What's that?" she said, jutting her chin toward the slightly opened door.

"Don't know," Elliot said, moving off of her, and off of the bed, to look. He walked over and bent down, and when he got to his feet, he was holding a very expensive bottle of wine in his hands. He smirked, and said, "I think someone left us a little housewarming present."

Olivia tilted her head, then her eyes widened. She looked toward the door and whispered a soft, "Oh, my God." She caught Elliot's eyes as he began to get dressed and asked, "You don't think…"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I do."

Olivia sat up, shaking her head as she mumbled, "Here we go again."

**A/N: Is Kathy going to be like Casey? Or was this really just a mistake that she got caught up in, unable to leave due to shock? Find out when the kids throw their parents a housewarming party no one will ever forget!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: A housewarming to remember, because it's impossible to forget. But why?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia awoke the next morning to soft kisses, pecks being scattered across her neck and down her chest. She smiled and, with her eyes still shut, she mumbled, "Better be Elliot."

"Who the hell else would it be?" Elliot asked, chuckling as he sucked on a patch of her skin under her neck. He ran his hands lower, sliding them over her belly and her hips, then dragged them inward toward her wettening center.

Olivia moaned in response to his touch, shifting a bit to open herself up to him. Her hands shot to the back of his head, she held him down as he sucked and kissed, as his nimble fingers expertly worked her into an intense state of madness. "Oh, God, Elliot," she moaned softly.

Elliot chuckled, moving his hand faster, gliding his thumb over her clit and pressing down hard.

Olivia moaned louder, and her eyes opened, and she held back a scream as she saw Kathy in the doorway, her arms folded. "Is he everything you thought he'd be?" she asked. "You ruined my family for this, was it worth it?" She took a step toward Elliot, who hadn't noticed or heard her, and she chuckled evilly as she said, "You know he still loves me, don't you? He will always love me, and he's going to leave you and that bastard child you're carrying. You don't deserve to be a mother, you know that. You know that, Olivia."

She shot up, breathing heavily, her eyes wide in the dark, trying to focus. It took her a moment to realize it had been a dream. A nightmare.

Elliot rolled over and looked up at her. "Baby," he said, reaching up to brush the damp hair off of her face, "Are you all right?"

Olivia swatted his hand away and shook her head. "Kathy," she panted. She then got a glazed look in her eyes and hopped off the bed, running into the master bathroom.

"Liv, honey," Elliot said, concerned, following her every move, "What happened? What about Kathy?"

Olivia heaved over the toilet, trying hard to remember when she ate something that red, and dropped her head to the cool seat. "She…was watching us," she whispered.

"I know she was," Elliot said, "But why are you…"

"Again," Olivia interrupted. "In my dream. She was watching and you didn't see her, but she looked so…"

"Evil," Elliot said with a nod. "She just looks that way," he said, trying to make her laugh as he held her hair back for her and rubbed her neck.

Olivia scoffed. "Evil is right," she said, inhaling deeply. She squeezed her eyes shut, throwing up again, and when she could, she said, "She told me…forget it."

"It woke you up like that, I'm not gonna forget it," Elliot said, pulling her closer to him. He reached up and pulled the handle down, then grabbed the bottle of mouthwash. "Tell me about it," he begged in a whisper, watching her rinse her mouth out.

Olivia spit into the toilet bowl and took a breath. "She told me I ruined her family for nothing. That you still loved her and you're gonna leave me. And then she told me I didn't deserve…I don't deserve to be a mother."

"Even in your dreams she's a bitch," Elliot mumbled. "Honey, you know damn well I'm never leaving you. You are an incredible mother to my kids, and this new, little one is gonna be loved and spoiled to death. I'm gonna make sure of that. You, more than anyone, deserve to be a mommy."

Olivia leaned into him, dropping her head to his shoulder, and said, "Damn right I do." She heard and felt him laugh, and wrapped her arms around him tighter. "Just…the thought of her watching. Being there. And the one time you decide to cuff me and…"

"Baby," Elliot said, kissing her to silence her, "She e-mailed me again. She said she thought I was alone, and came over to try to…I don't know what she thought she was gonna do, but she heard the noise, and saw us, and she was too stunned to leave." He smirked at her and said, "She said we were the hottest thing she'd ever seen."

"She said that?" Olivia questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why don't I believe you?" she laughed.

Elliot nodded. "Her exact words were, 'We have never done anything that hot, that erotic, and…' you get the idea." He was not going to tell her Kathy had then reamed into him about their boring sex-life, and blamed their lack of experimentation and acting out of fantasies for their failed marriage.

Olivia let out a deep sigh. "You're not an easy man to get over," she said, her eyes drifting shut as she leaned onto his chest.

"You'll never have to get over me," Elliot whispered to her. He kissed her forehead and scooped her into his arms, carrying her back into their bed. "Go back to sleep," he said.

Olivia rolled over and wrapped herself around him, snuggling as close as she could, and followed his order.

* * *

"Shh," Maureen said, opening the door quietly. "They're probably still sleeping."

Kathleen and the twins came in after her, their arms loaded with bags and boxes. "Where are we going?" Kathleen asked, looking toward Maureen.

"Uh…I don't know. Dining room?" she shrugged, then watched her siblings waddle into the newly finished space.

"How did you even get the key?" Dickie asked, rifling through a bag for a table cloth.

Maureen shuddered. "I didn't," she said. "The doors don't really lock yet. That's why those two cops are in the car in the driveway."

Lizzie looked up as she put flowers into a vase. "Dad hired bodyguards?" she asked, incredulous.

Maureen shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Someone got in yesterday," she said. "They got freaked, asked a couple friends to do them a favor until the alarm company could get here."

"Who was in the house?" Kathleen asked.

Maureen bit her lip. "Um…Mom," she said, putting the plates around the table.

The three other children looked at her, mouths open. "What?" Dickie asked, folding his arms.

"You really do look like Dad," Maureen said, shivering again. "That's creepy."

As they set up the table and hung decorations, Kathleen spoke. "Why the hell would she come over here?" she asked, sounding bitter.

"Who's all coming to this thing?" Maureen asked, ignoring the question. It was bad enough she had to hear about her father and Olivia's sexual exploits, but she had to hear about it from her mother, who had been trying to seduce her father. It was an uncomfortable situation.

"Uncle Munch, Fin, Captain Cragen," Dickie said, placing vegetables and dip on a platter. "Uh, some other people they work with, Dad's friends from Brooklyn, some people Olivia knows."

Lizzie chuckled. "They need to keep their phones password-locked," she said, referring to how they managed to invite people without either Elliot or Olivia knowing about it.

Maureen looked at her brother. "You didn't invite…Kathy," she said, her arms dropping to her sides. "Did you?" she asked.

Dickie looked at her wide-eyed. "I'm not an idiot, Mo!" he yelled. "No, but she'll show up anyway, you know her."

"Unfortunately," Maureen replied. "We don't have a lot of time. Give 'em another hour, then one of us will go wake them up."

* * *

Elliot wasn't sleeping, though. He was awake, holding a slumbering Olivia in his arms, grinning at the thought of his kids throwing a party for them, though he wasn't sure what is was for. He looked down at Olivia and tilted his head, a warm smile gracing his face. "You will never know how much I love you," he whispered, dropping a soft kiss to her head. "This time it's gonna be different," he told her. "You come first. You and the kids. I'm not gonna do to you what I did to Kathy," he promised, though she couldn't hear him. "And this baby," he whispered, sliding his hand down to her belly, caressing lightly, "God. I'm gonna be at every doctor's appointment, every shopping trip, I am not gong miss a single second of this little one's life."

Olivia moaned, a smile on her face, too, as she rolled further into him and made herself comfortable, using him as her pillow.

Elliot closed his eyes and kissed her forehead again, smoothing her back as he did. "My girl," he said, smiling.

"Dad?" a voice from the doorway called.

So much for that hour, he thought. "What are you doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his son.

Dickie shrugged. "Can, uh, you and Mom come downstairs in about ten minutes?" he asked, biting his lip nervously.

Elliot furrowed his brow, then nodded. "We'll be right there," he said. He watched Dickie turn away, then lightly shook Olivia, waking her up.

* * *

It took a while for them to get up and dressed, owing to the extra-long shower they'd taken, during which Elliot completely ravaged his new wife. Twice. "You look fine," he assured her, watching her pull at her clothes in front of the mirror.

"I look pregnant," she countered, tugging at her flowy top, as if it would somehow expand.

Elliot chuckled. "You look beautiful," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "I don't know why, but we have a houseful of people downstairs, and four teenaged delinquents to thank for it. Do you really want them in the house, without us down there?"

Olivia looked over her shoulder. "You can go downstairs," she said. "I wanna go back to bed. For some reason, I'm more tired now than I was before I went to bed. I thought showers were supposed to give you energy," she laughed.

"Come on, Misses Stabler," he said with a wink and a chuckle. "The kids are waiting." He pulled her out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into their luxurious living room. He laughed when he saw the people waiting, chatting, and eating. He let go of Olivia to shake hands with someone he clearly had not seen in a long time.

Olivia looked around then, noticing Melinda and Alex, and she walked over to them, giving each a hug.

"Excuse me!" Kathleen yelled, tapping a glass with a spoon. "Now that the, uh, very confused guests of honor have graced us with their presence, I think we can get this thing started."

Maureen and Dickie brought a large yellow and green frosted cake out of the kitchen and placed it in the middle of the table. "Our parents," Dickie said, "Without consulting any of us, mind you, have decided to expand our little brood of Stablers."

Light cheers and applause rang through the house, with some chuckles and "Way to go, Stabler" shouts. One guest was so bold as to say , "Guess it ain't broke yet, huh, Elliot?"

Elliot shot an obscene gesture into the air, glaring at the fellow Marine who'd yelled it. He buried his head into Olivia's neck as he snuck up behind her and enveloped her in his arms. "Ain't broke at all," he mumbled, making sure he was rubbing against her as he said it.

"Down boy," Olivia teased, rubbing back a bit and kissing him over her shoulder.

Lizzie looked at them and smiled, oblivious to the erotic flirtation going on. "We don't mind a new Stabler at all," she said. "In fact, that's what this is for, Mom. A new husband, a new house, and a new baby. That all calls for a party. One you never got to have."

Maureen laughed and said, "There wasn't any time!"

"In all seriousness," Kathleen said, tilting her head and looking at her father and Olivia, "Mom, Dad, you two have been the best, most supportive parents any kid could have. It took a long time to get here, and you both know what I'm talking about."

Elliot groaned and whispered something into Olivia's ear. She jabbed him with her elbow and chuckled, then turned to kiss him. "I hated it, too," she said. "But we don't have to worry about that now." She kissed him again and looked back at the toasting kids.

"It's been really cool having you in our lives, Mom," Dickie said, "And we all feel like we were family a long time before it was official. This is our way of thanking you, repaying you for bringing us together, and bringing us home."

Lizzie raised her glass of sparkling cider, and she waited for everyone else to raise their own. She watched Kathleen give glasses to Olivia and Elliot and said, "We know this all happened rather quickly, and you would never make the time or the effort to do this by yourself. So Mom, Dad, welcome to your wedding reception-slash-housewarming-slash-baby shower."

Olivia's eyes widened as she heard the clapping. Tears welled up and she held onto Elliot's arms, feeling him pull her tighter. They raised their glasses as everyone toasted, and they each nodded and mouthed words of love and gratitude to their children. They worked their way around the room, hugging and shaking hands, getting words of congratulations from people they hadn't seen in years.

Elliot pulled Olivia over to the side of the room, and he looked into her eyes. "Liv," he said, "Do you even know half of these people?"

Olivia chuckled. "I did," she said, "Years ago. Some of them I thought I'd never see again. How many people from your old unit are here?"

"Counting my old C.O?" he asked with a chuckle. "Thirteen," he said. "They all think I definitely traded up." He kissed her and whispered, "I agree with them, wholeheartedly."

Olivia sunk into the kiss for a moment, then caught a glimpse of someone over his shoulder. "El," she gasped. "Kathy's here."

"Yeah, she lives next door," Elliot shrugged. "She was bound to come, once she saw all the people…"

"No," Olivia interrupted. "El, she's here with Dean," she said, looking up at him.

Elliot's eyes narrowed as he turned to see them, and they were huddled in a corner, quietly talking. "The kids know he's not..." he stopped. Maybe they didn't. "Alex knew neither of us would want him here."

Olivia kissed his cheek, then walked over to Alex. "Hey," she said, pulling on the blonde's arm. "You brought Dean?" she asked.

Alex bit her lip. "Yes," she said, nodding. "Um, Olivia, you should probably know…"

"Why would you bring him here?" Olivia asked, interrupting. "If he says or does anything to…"

"He won't," Alex said, her tone affirming. "Trust me," she said.

Olivia looked back at Dean and Kathy. "You don't know what they're talking about, Alex. What she could be telling him. What she could tell anyone in this room. She…"

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, suddenly concerned.

"She walked into the house, because the damn locks don't work, and she wandered up the stairs and…watched."

"Watched what?" Alex asked, then she realized. "Oh. Oh, God, that's…well, that's kinda hot, but not if it's Kathy."

Olivia hit Alex in the arm. "Can we focus?" she asked. "Kathy wants Elliot, and she's probably over there right now convincing Dean to come after me, so she can…"

"That won't work," Alex said, resting her hands on Olivia's shoulders.

"How do you know?" Olivia said, feeling her morning nausea coming back full force.

Alex sighed and looked into Olivia's eyes. "Because he asked me to marry him last night."

**A/N: Alex and Dean? Oh my! Olivia's reaction and a surprise for everyone…from Kathy. Next! Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Alex and Dean? Oh my! Olivia's reaction and a surprise for everyone…from Kathy.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia stared at Alex in horrified shock as she processed what the blonde had just told her. "What?" she asked, almost inaudibly. "You were…you and he…you two were…"

"Living together," Alex began with a shrug. "He kind of grew on me, we had a spark, we went out…and we've been…"

"Alex, the man is nuts," Olivia interrupted. "You don't know…"

"Oh," Alex scoffed. "He finally got over and moves on, and you can't stand it so you have to try to talk me out of it? You think he has to spend the rest of his life pining for you? You have an ego almost as big as Elliot's," she spat, folding her arms.

Olivia was taken aback. "That's not…no, Alex, I'm not bitter," she said, composing herself. "I'm actually thankful that the scumbag is over me, now he'll leave me the hell alone, I was just warning you that he's a control freak." The fear behind Olivia's eyes struck Alex, and she knew there was something she was hiding, something no one knew. "I'm asking you, telling you as a friend, to think about this. If he was a good guy, I'd be happy for you."

"What did he do, Olivia?" Alex asked, her voice low as she saw Olivia flinch.

"Like I said," Olivia shrugged, "He likes to be in control. All the time." She tried to get through to Alex with her narrow-eyed expression.

Alex gasped and opened her mouth, but before anyone could say anything else, Olivia felt two strong arms wrap around her body. She relaxed at his touch, turned her head only slightly and smirked. "You shouldn't be doing this here, my husband's probably watching."

Elliot chuckled. "Leave him. Run away with me."

Olivia laughed and turned around fully, thankful that he'd interrupted the moment with Alex. "Sounds amazing," she said. "Tell me when and where, and I'll go with you."

"Tonight. Mexico," Elliot joked, kissing her softly.

Olivia moaned and rolled her eyes. "That would be amazing," she said. "Thanks for planting that fantasy in my head."

"Hopefully, that's not the only fantasy floating around in there," Elliot said with a light laugh. "Some of the gifts these guys brought would make even the most experienced porn stars blush." He wagged his eyebrows and said, "One of my old Marine buddies bought you a naughty cop outfit, complete with cuffs and nightstick."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and smirked. "I've got cuffs," she murmured. "And you, Detective Stabler, have definitely got a very big, hard nightstick. I don't need the outfit to play naughty cop."

Elliot grinned and his eyes darkened. "I'm really glad the kids are still staying with their mother," he groaned, dropping his forehead to hers. His arousal was evident and obvious to her, since she could feel every marvelous inch of him as he held her close.

"Oh!" Olivia gasped, picking her head up and interrupting their private moment. "You should go over and congratulate Dean. He got engaged last night."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "I didn't even know he was seeing anyone," he said, tilting his head.

Olivia gave him a grim smile. "Alex," she said, turning back to the blonde, who waved awkwardly at Elliot.

Elliot's eyes widened. "Does she know he…"

"No," Olivia said, shaking her head. "It's not something I bragged about, Elliot. I told you because…"

"You tell me everything," Elliot finished for her. "And I kicked his ass."

Olivia laughed. "Yeah, you did."

Alex was worried now. "Olivia," she said, her voice pleading. "What did he do?"

Olivia sighed. "When I was with him…it started off with little things. Ya know, he'd tell me not to wear my hair up, he'd tell me how to dress, and he'd get angry when I didn't listen. And then he tried to…"

"He tried to get her to request a new partner," Elliot hissed. "Because he was threatened by me. With good reason, obviously."

Olivia rolled her eyes at his cockiness. "He got really…controlling. It's one of the reasons I dumped him, Alex. He actually tried to hit me once, but I was faster. Punched him and ran to Elliot."

"She tried to keep me there, with her, but there was no way I was letting the bastard get away with it, so I paid him a little visit," Elliot said. "That was the last we saw of him, until he moved into the apartment across the hall, with you, who was miraculously back from the dead."

"This is gonna kill Munch," Olivia said, running a hand through her hair.

Alex groaned. "Oh, God, I didn't even think…we haven't really talked about…"

"Save it," Elliot said. "Just watch yourself with Porter, and Munch will get over it. Clearly, you have." He turned to walk away, but Kathy tapped the side of her glass with a spoon, much like Kathleen had done.

"Oh, no," Elliot moaned, pulling Olivia toward him.

Kathy smiled at the crowd and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, as most of you know, I was married to Elliot once upon a time, and all I can say to Olivia now is…"

"Here it comes," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

Kathy looked at Olivia and continued. "Good luck, honey," she said, shaking her head and smirking. "He's impossible. He has a temper, he's a bit of a neat freak, he will try to take over in the kitchen so...oh, well you won't mind that. You don't cook."

There were laughs, and Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. "Who is she, and what did she do to Kathy?" Elliot asked, mumbling into Olivia's ear.

"He will give you hell," Kathy carried on. "But I know, as do most of the people in this room, that none of that will bother you the way it bothered me. You are just as stubborn, just as ill-tempered, just as dedicated to your job and your...family...as he is." She smiled at Elliot, then, and added, "You both got what you wanted. Here is to a very long, very happy, passion-filled life together, getting what you both deserve." She raised her glass and led everyone in a toast.

Olivia blinked. Her face was expressionless, her hands clung to Elliot's waist tightly, and the only thing she could do was blink.

"Shit," Elliot said, running his hand down Olivia's back. "Hell just froze over, didn't it?" he asked.

Olivia nodded dumbly, and walked over to Kathy, ignoring the bout of applause that spattered and echoed through the room. "Hey," she said, "Whatever you were just trying to pull, I…"

"Olivia," Kathy said, sighing, "I get it. Okay? I get it. I understand. I meant everything I said. I know Elliot told you I…saw the two of you…and at first I was insanely jealous, it was never like that with us."

Olivia folded her arms. "He told me," she said with a small smirk.

"Well, I realized that the reason it was never like that…is because he's never felt like that," Kathy admitted sadly. "What he gives to you, all of himself, so completely…Olivia, It's because he loves you more than he ever loved me. There is more sexual energy, and passion, and raw emotion with the two of you than I think, even in high school, there ever was between us."

"Are you feeling okay?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.

Kathy chuckled. "I feel fine," she said. "Better than I've felt in a long time. If you or Elliot, or the kids, of course, ever need anything…well, I'm right next door. Just…promise me that you'll take care of him."

"For the rest of my life," Olivia said with a nod.

Kathy nodded back, then walked over to Elliot to have a similar conversation with him. Olivia watched her go, confusion and relief flooding her system, and she shook her head as she turned, running into Dean.

"Hello, Olivia," he said, narrowing his eyes.

Olivia blinked and caught her breath. "Hi," she said, looking over at Elliot.

"I guess you talked to Alex," Dean said, folding his arms. "What do you think?" he asked, smirking.

"I think she's making the biggest mistake of her life," Olivia said, her lips tight and her eyes fierce.

Dean chuckled. "She listens to me," he said with a shrug. "She's never put up a fight, or argued, or…disobeyed." He looked over at Alex and said, "She's everything you weren't. Everything you could never be."

"Exactly," Olivia said, her hands crossing in front of her. "That's why she's in love with you. Because I never was, and could never be."

"You're still a cold-stone fox, Benson," Dean said with a light growl, "But you're still a bitch." He leaned into her and said, "If you hadn't run away like a scared, little girl, I could have made you appreciate me, and my authority."

Olivia scoffed. "Get over it," she said. "You know damn well you never had the control you wanted over me, and you knew you were never gonna get it. Your jaw healed nicely by the way," she spat. She walked back over to Alex, and she made one last plea for her. "Al, please, think about this. He's not…"

"I'm not gonna marry him," Alex interrupted. "I've been thinking about it, and he does make a lot of…suggestions…and he gets irritated when I argue with him. Maybe it's escalating, maybe it isn't. I don't wanna take that chance."

Olivia sighed in relief and hugged her, and then she offered, "If you need a place to stay…"

"Are you kidding?" Alex said, laughing. "I love that apartment. Dean can get his sorry ass out of it."

Olivia laughed and hugged her again, then the two ladies were joined by Cragen, Fin, Elliot, and Melinda. They gabbed and laughed, all the while oblivious to someone who was getting closer to their ultimate goal, who had just set a devious plan into motion.

**A/N: What plan? Who planned it? It isn't who you think! How is Dean involved, and what happens when the new locks are finally put on the doors? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: What plan? Who planned it? It isn't who you think! How is Dean involved, and what happens when the new locks are finally put on the doors?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Look at all this stuff," Olivia said, her arms folded.

Elliot chuckled. "We can unwrap it and put it all away later," he said. "Right now, I want you to go put this on." He handed her a small, pink gift bag.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and reached into the bag. "El, there's nothing in here," she said, turning the empty bag upside down.

"Exactly," he murmured his voice low and his eyes filled with desire.

Olivia chuckled, letting him pull her close and sink his teeth into her neck. "God, El, I thought they'd never leave," she mumbled through her moans.

Elliot hummed in agreement against her skin. He pushed her toward the stairs and when they reached them, he lifted her into his arms. He kissed her sweetly as he carried her up and into their bedroom, and when he put her down and turned her around, she gasped. "Baby," she whispered.

"Fin and Ryan," he told her. "They came up here and did this for me when that pod person took over Kathy's body."

Olivia chuckled, looking around the candlelit room. "You didn't buy it either?" she asked, turning back toward him.

"I would sooner believe Munch's theory about robotic hotdogs and radioactive relish," he said, kissing her. They laughed as they kissed, and Olivia felt Elliot pulling on her jeans, tugging on her flowy top, running his hands all over her body. "Off," he barked, as if saying some kind of magic word that would make her clothes disappear.

"What do you say?" Olivia teased, sounding like a mother.

Elliot pulled away from her and gave her the begging eyes she could never refuse and the pout that made her heart melt. "Please?" he pled.

She laughed again and kissed him, humming in delight as his fingers toyed with her button and zipper. He had her pants down in moments, and then he slid his hand up, pulling her top over her head. He backed up for a minute and his face changed. His expression went from one of pure lust and desire to a look of love. Delicate and soft emotion.

"What?" Olivia asked, questioning why he was looking at her like that.

Without making a sound, he slid his hands over her only-slightly-swollen belly, looking into her eyes, and kissed her gently.

She understood.

Elliot whispered things she couldn't understand, as he eased her down onto the bed, and kissed every inch of her body he could reach. He pulled off his shirt and tie, but before he could shake himself out of his pants, his cell phone rang. He groaned in disappointment and dropped his head to Olivia's. "You pick it up, tell them we're in Mexico," he joked.

Olivia chuckled. "Baby, just…"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm the man in charge now, I have to take the fucking call," he griped. He rolled off of her and dug into his pocket to find his phone. He flipped it open and snapped, "Stabler, and it'd better be important."

He listed as Olivia watched, sitting up to drape an arm around him and plant small kisses to his shoulder and neck. She was stunned and mildly hurt when he pushed her away. She saw the look on his face and heard the tone of his voice, and knew whatever he was talking about was serious.

He snapped his phone shut and looked at Olivia. "Get dressed," he said. "We have a problem," he told her, quickly getting off of the couch and redressing.

"What happened?" she asked, rising off of the couch and stumbling over things on the floor to get to her clothes. She was met with silence. "What happened?" she asked again, louder.

Elliot sighed as he tied his tie. "Alex…"

"Oh, no," Olivia interrupted, hearing enough. "Go," she said, slipping into her shoes and zipping her jeans. She pulled a sweatshirt over her head and ran out with him, down the stairs and out of the house.

* * *

They ran through the doors of Mercy General, fast and panicked. They met Munch and Fin, who had responded to the call, and words of worry and relief were exchanged. Olivia felt mildly guilty. "I never should have told her to…"

"Don't blame yourself," Elliot demanded. "You don't get to do that. Not this time. She was doing the right thing, and he blew his fucking fuse. The same way he did with…"

Olivia sighed. "But I…"

"Don't," he said, his eyes flashing something like anger, but with softness behind it. Nothing like the anger she was used to seeing from Dean or her mother.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him as he turned back to Fin. "Did he…"

"No," Fin said, cutting him off. "He just roughed her up a bit. Munch got there before anything else could happen."

Elliot tilted his head. "You just happened to go visit Alex when this happened?"

"She called me," Munch said, with his usual stone-faced expression. "She said she wanted to talk, but now I think she wanted me there to stop him. She knew what he was gonna do."

"Where is he now?" Olivia asked.

Fin chuckled. "With Cragen, McCoy, and a rep from the bureau," he said. "Getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter." He waited a moment, and then he nodded and winked and said, "Sarge."

Elliot chuckled. He turned and closed his eyes as he kissed Olivia's forehead. He couldn't help but be thankful that it wasn't her, that Dean had never laid a hand on her. If he had, he wouldn't have lived to see another day; Elliot would have made sure of that.

"You have to be the damned cutest couple I've ever seen," a female's voice from behind them said. They turned around and raised their eyes. "Surprised to see me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "You…you're not here to see a doc…"

"No, Elliot," the woman said with a smirk. "I'm here because I missed your wedding, you're having a baby, I had to find out from Kathy where you were. And why haven't you brought the kids to see me? It's been almost two years, Elliot."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Kathy called you? When?" he asked, sounding irritated.

The woman chuckled. "This morning. Said you were having some kind of party, but I couldn't get out here until now. I went to your place, and that's when she told me you'd left her, you got remarried, you were expecting a child…you left your wife and kids for your partner! Elliot, this is not how I raised you." She turned her attention toward Olivia. "You must be the home wrecker," she said, folding her arms.

"Mom!" Elliot yelled. "Kathy kicked me out a year ago, we got divorced before I even asked Liv on a date, so anything Kathy told you about…"

"Do the kids like her?" his mother asked.

"They love her," Elliot said, smiling. "I can't believe her. I knew she was being way too nice," he mumbled. He turned to Olivia and said, "She poured on the sugar because she knew my mother was gonna get involved."

Olivia looked at him. "Why don't you take your mother down to the café, and talk to her?" she suggested. "Tell her the truth."

Elliot lowered his voice. "My mother…Liv, the reason I never talk about her is because she…"

"I what?" his mother interrupted. "I care a little too much? I refuse to conform to the constricting society around me, and I live my life without inhibition? Is that so wrong?"

Elliot sighed. "See?" he mumbled to Olivia. "Mom, you remember hearing all about Olivia. Liv, she is…"

"Oh," his mother said, her eyes widening. "Oh, well, now it all makes sense," she said. She blinked and said, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't…I think Kathy may have embellished a little bit."

"She lied, Mom," Elliot said. He turned, realizing this was all happening in the waiting room of a hospital. "Uh, guys, this is my mother. Mom, this is John and…Fin," he said, deciding not to attempt to tell his mother his full name. "They work with Liv."

His mother looked confused. "And you don't? I thought she was your…"

"I got a promotion," Elliot interrupted. "I'm sorry I haven't called, Ma, but you have to understand that…"

"I do," his mother said. "And I came down here to tell you…"

"Detectives," a doctor said, stepping up to them. "She's going to be fine. She's got a fractured wrist, but she's calmed down enough now, and ready to talk to you. She's requesting Detective Benson, or, uh, well, I guess it's Stabler now, and Detective Tutuola."

Olivia smiled at the man that they'd been working with for years, and she said, "Thanks, Bill."

Fin looked at Munch. "Sorry, man. Guess she ain't comfortable talkin' about this in front of you," he said. He walked toward Alex's room and waited in the middle of the hallway for Olivia.

Olivia kissed Elliot quickly, running her hand down his arm. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too, baby," he murmured, begrudgingly letting her go. He watched Fin rest his hand on her shoulder, felt a very brief pang of jealousy, and watched them disappear down the hall. He turned to his mother and asked, "What exactly did Kathy tell you?"

His mother shrugged. "She told me you left her for a younger woman, your partner. She told me that it was a shotgun wedding because she was pregnant, and she wanted me to come talk some sense into you."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "I've been with Olivia for a long time, and I asked her to marry me long before…"

"She's wearing the ring," his mother said, giving him a small smile. "You gave her my ring. She's really the one isn't she?" she asked, her smile growing.

Elliot smiled back at his mother. "She is," he said, nodding. He took a wavering step and reached for his mother, who took two large steps and pulled her son into her arms.

Elliot sighed, then, for once thankful that Kathy had tried to screw him over. She had unknowingly given him back his mother. He did, however, fear the many other things she would try, now that they were neighbors.

"They aren't home," Kathy yelled across Elliot's driveway to the men at the door. "They're cops," she said. "They're working. Can I help you with something?"

One of the men, wearing an orange vest, called back to her. "We just installed the new locks. We gotta leave 'em the keys."

Kathy smirked. "I'll take them," she said. "I will make sure they get them, I'm…family."

The man eyed his colleague, and they both shrugged, thinking it couldn't really hurt anyone. He bounded over the hedges, crossed the driveway, and walked up the lawn to Kathy. "Here ya go, lady. Just sign right here," he said, handing her a clipboard and a pen.

She signed her name, vouching for the keys, and smiled at the man. She watched him walk away and looked down at the three keys dangling in her hand. She tilted her wrist and looked at her watch, then she turned around and opened her front door. "Hey kids," she called, "I will be right back. I have to run to the store." She heard various replies from her children and ran toward her car, hoping she could get to the hardware store before they closed. She smirked as she realized she really was going to love being Elliot's next door neighbor.

**A/N: Uh-oh! What does she do? What happened to Alex, and what does Dean's confession reveal? And Olivia gets a surprise from Simon and Ed! But what is it? When friends and neighbors become family, chaos ensues. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: What happened to Alex, and what does Dean's confession reveal? And Olivia gets a surprise from Simon and Ed! But what is it? When friends and neighbors become family, chaos ensues.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters owned and operated by Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story, though.**

"I should be in there!" Elliot yelled to Cragen, who was standing behind his desk, smirking with folded arms.

"No," Cragen said. "If Porter was a cop, you would be in there. He's been questioned by me and his federal rep, and the case his been turned over to the Special Victim's Unit. Benson and Tutuola are handling it."

Elliot yelled louder. "Cap, you know damn well I can get to him faster than they can!"

"I'm not your captain anymore, Sergeant," Cragen said, narrowing his eyes. "You are not a detective, not in this unit," he said, making his point.

"You can change that!" Elliot yelled. "For ten fucking minutes, Don!"

Cragen shook his head. "I can't," he said. "You wanted this, Elliot. You asked for it. You have to trust her to do her job by herself."

Elliot's eyes narrowed. "She's...she's not the one I don't..."

"You have a problem with Fin now?" Cragen asked, interrupting and raising an eyebrow.

Elliot opened his mouth to say something, but a crash and shattering glass had them out of the office and into the interrogation room in seconds. "What the hell happened in here?" Elliot asked, looking around, his eyes landing on a furious looking Olivia.

"I'm not fucking Buddha," she said, her chest rising and falling with hard, angry breaths.

Fin chuckled. "Porter went after her, had her up against the wall and tried to rub her belly, said he bet she wished the baby was his. Next thing I know, he's flyin' through the air like a paper airplane."

"I'm fine," they heard Dean groaning. "Thanks for asking," he mumbled with a cough, sitting up as the glass and metal crunched beneath him.

Cragen ran a hand down his face. "What else did I miss?" he asked.

McCoy, standing where the window used to be, said, "His full confession, and rather unsettling reasoning behind it."

Elliot kept his eyes on Olivia, who was glaring at Porter with one hand over her swelling belly. "What did he say, Detective?" he asked, remaining professional for the sake of his job, but screaming on the inside.

"Give it up and go hug your wife," McCoy said, nodding at him.

Sighing in relief, Elliot ran over to her and gave her a thorough once over, then he asked, "What did he say?"

"Marrying Alex would keep him in my life, and also make you crazy because he thought...he said you had a thing for her," Olivia said to him. She handed him a yellow legal pad, with her other hand, and said, "It's all right here. Read it yourself." She pulled away from him, stepped over Dean and the glass shards, and walked out of the squad room.

Elliot looked at the written confession, looked at Cragen, then looked at Fin. "Get him up and into a damned cage," he spat. He walked out, slapping the yellow notebook into McCoy's chest as he left to find Olivia.

When he found her, curled over the toilet in the ladies bathroom, he held her hair back for her and rubbed her back. "Honey," he whispered, "Are you..."

"Fine," she hissed, flushing the toilet and swatting him away. "I'm fine," she repeated. She moved away from him, walked toward the sink, and rinsed out her mouth. "I let the son of a bitch get to me," she admitted after she had spit.

Elliot walked over to her, began to rub her shoulders, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Yeah, you did," he said. "But at least you weren't yelling at your former boss to temporarily give you your old job back so you could kill him."

She chuckled and her eyes closed as she leaned back into him. "You did that?" she asked, loving the way she felt in his arms.

"I did," he said, kissing her neck as he continued to rub her shoulders.

"Can we go home, Sarge?" she asked, moaning lightly.

He kissed the back of her head and said, "Of course, Detective Stabler. But you know you have to pay for that broken window, and I have to write you up for assaulting a perp."

"I'm pregnant," she said. "The baby did it," she added.

Elliot rolled his eyes and gave her a gentle shove toward the door. As he did he said, "And I do not, nor have I ever had a thing for Alex. I always thought she was a lesbian."

"She was with Munch for almost a year!" she said, her eyes wide.

"What's your point?" he asked, earning an eye roll and a laugh. He kissed her quickly, then led her out through the door and took her out of the building, taking her home.

* * *

Kathy, waiting out on her porch, saw the car pull up and ran over to them. "Elliot!" she cried, waving the silver keys in her hand. "Elliot!" she called again.

"You," Elliot returned, holding up one hand as he slammed the door, "Stay the hell away from me."

Kathy stopped in her tracks. "What did I do?" she asked, stunned.

"Did you really have to sic my mother on me?" Elliot asked, walking toward his front door, grabbing Olivia by the hand. "All those fucking lies you told her, Kathy! It took me an hour to convince her the kids were happy about the baby and that he or she wasn't the product of an affair!"

Kathy smirked and rolled her eyes. "So I babbled a little to your mother, it all worked out, didn't it?" she asked.

"Fucking door won't open," he mumbled, ignoring his ex-wife. "Were the security guys here?" he asked, turning to Olivia.

"Yes," Kathy said, answering for her. "They left these with me, for you," she said, jiggling the keys.

Olivia raised an eyebrow, giving Elliot a knowing look. He returned her skepticism and nodded once, taking the keys from Kathy. "Thanks," he said harshly, turning to open the door.

"You're welcome," she said with a warm smile. "Oh, uh, how's Alexandra?" she asked.

Olivia turned, her eyes narrow. "How did you know anything...hold on," she said. She turned to Elliot and folded her arms, leaning into him and dropping her voice. She asked, "How did she know where we were? Where to send your mother?"

Elliot squinted, then turned his head over his shoulder back at Kathy. "Who told you where we were?" he asked.

"It was...on the news," Kathy said, giving her best convincing expression.

"Try again," Olivia said, her smirk broadening. "We had guys at the scene of the crime, and we were at the hospital. There was no press involved," she told Kathy. "How did you know?"

Kathy sighed. "Dean called me," she admitted. "He said he needed a favor, but I was busy. I couldn't do it. I didn't even ask him what it was," she said.

"What did he say to you?" Elliot asked, his hand still clutching the locked door's knob.

"Just that he'd made a mistake," Kathy said with a wave of her hand. "He screwed up and he knew you two would be going after him. He wanted me to tell you something, or go get him, I don't know, I couldn't really hear him the machine was too loud."

"What machine?" Olivia asked, her brow furrowing.

"The machine, when I was getting copies of your keys made at...shit," Kathy hissed, stomping one foot and making a face.

Elliot chuckled. "You're talking to two interrogation experts, Kathy," he said. He Unlocked the door and asked, "Did you think I didn't know, the minute I saw that you had them, that you made copies? I know you, Kathy."

"We're changing the locks again, tomorrow morning," Olivia said.

Kathy smiled and shrugged. "You have work, they'll just have to give me..."

"I'm staying home," Olivia interrupted. She ignored Elliot's furrowed brow and scoff and said, "I, uh, threw a perp through a window. Got into a little trouble with IAB. Got suspended for a day," she said with a shrug. She looked at Elliot who smirked at her.

Kathy suddenly looked seriously concerned and stepped forward. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Should you have done that? The baby..."

"I'm fine," Olivia said, confused by the emotion and care Kathy was showing. "He didn't weigh much, and I'm a pretty tough cookie."

"You still shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting," Elliot told her, narrowing his eyes. "She has a point, surprisingly."

Olivia elbowed him lightly and rolled her eyes. "Why do you care?" she asked, talking to Kathy. "You would probably enjoy it if I somehow injured myself or got myself killed so you could step back in and..."

"I told you," Kathy said, sighing, "I'm over it. You're good for him. Good for each other. I got a copy of the key made in case you needed me to watch the kids in the middle of the night, or help with the laundry when you got to big to do it, because we both know Elliot would shrink everything."

Olivia actually laughed at that and felt a little bit badly about jumping to conclusions. "Kathy, I..."

"I don't blame you for not trusting me, or believing me," Kathy interrupted. "I've been pretty awful, and this will take a lot of getting used to, Olivia. You have my life now, my husband, my kids, everything I've known is all yours now. Watching it all unfold right next door is gonna be hard," she said with a sad shrug. "I was just trying to find a way to stay in your lives, be a part of it all again."

Olivia was wrapped in Elliot's arms, listening to his ex-wife pour her heart out to her, and she was speechless. Elliot helped her out and said, "Thanks, Kathy, but we..." he sighed, seeing the desperate look in her eyes. "If we need anything, we'll call you. But we're still changing the locks. We're gonna have an extra key we can give you if we want you to use it," he explained.

Kathy nodded, then turned and headed back to her house as Elliot and Olivia walked through their door. The message light on their answering machine was blinking, so as Olivia locked the door, Elliot walked over and pushed the button.

"Hey guys, it's Ed," Tucker's recorded voice told them. "Sorry I couldn't make it to that party, but with the job transition, and my sister hating me, I thought it best not to come. Hope you got everything you needed, uh, if you didn't...just, uh...expect a package from me. I'll see ya. Bye."

"He still thinks you hate him," Elliot said, looking at Olivia.

"I do," she replied with a shrug.

The machine beeped and the next message played. "Hey, neighbors!" Simon's voice exclaimed. "Guess who's moving across the street! Sarah and I will see you soon, guys! Oh, and I'm gonna be a dad! Can you believe it? You and Sarah are gonna be going through this all together. Oh, uh, I'm probably gonna need to borrow the truck," he said with a click.

Olivia looked at Elliot and her eyes went from wide to closed. He walked toward her and pulled her into his arms and they shared a soft laugh. "Can't get rid of 'em," Elliot said with a chuckle as he kissed her forehead.

She looked up and kissed him. "I'm tired, and now I'm annoyed," she said. "Clean me up and put me to bed," she said, kissing him again.

Elliot grinned and tugged her up the stairs, thinking about how much he loved her, and how much he was going to hate some of his new neighbors.

**A/N: What does Ed give them? Do Simon and his wife move in soon? And was Kathy being sincere? And what happens when the kids come home? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: What does Ed give them? Do Simon and his wife move in soon? And was Kathy being sincere? And what happens when the kids come home?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters are owned by Dick Wolf. This story, though, belongs to TStabler©**

"Honey!" Elliot yelled the following morning. "Liv, babe, you need to come in here!"

Olivia, annoyed that she'd been awakened by men from the security company at five in the morning, who were still changing locks and reinstalling alarms, padded out of the kitchen in her pajamas and met Elliot, dressed for work, in the living room. "What is it?" she said with a yawn.

Elliot gestured to the large box in the middle of the floor. "It's from Ed," he said. "I wanted us to open it before I left."

Olivia looked at him with a cautious look, and pulled up the top flaps. "Bubble wrap," she said, pulling out the plastic wrapping.

Elliot helped her, and when they got to the actual gift, they both gasped.

Olivia shook her head. "We...we can't...we have to send this back to him," she said, lifting a very expensive video camera into her hands.

"This TV is huge," Elliot said, sounding much like a little kid on Christmas. He lifted the card and read, "Capture every moment on film, then watch them all in high definition. Congratulations. Love, Ed."

Olivia handed Elliot the video camera, and he immediately grabbed the charger out of the box and plugged it in. "When I get home, I'll hook up the TV, and we can start filming things."

"What things?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "I'm barely four months pregnant. What could we possibly..."

"Every moment," Elliot said, rubbing one hand over her belly. "We'll record messages to the baby, I wanna film bits and pieces of our life. Our new life." He kissed her and brushed her hair back. "I love you so much," he whispered, kissing her again. "I'll be home..."

"Whenever you're done," she finished for him. "I know," she said with a smile. She kissed him again, watched him grab his keys, and sighed as he left. Life, she thought, had taken an unexpected turn, and it was about to take another one.

* * *

Simon, pulling Elliot's truck into his driveway, sighed as he looked at the house. "This is it," he said.

"Did we need to move across the street from Olivia and Elliot?" Sarah asked, accusing him of something without saying it.

"You said...at the party you said you loved this house," Simon said, stunned. "You begged me to make an offer before someone else bought it! This was your..."

"I know," Sarah interrupted. "I think...do you think this was a mistake?" she asked.

Simon scoffed. "Yeah, moving closer the only family I've got left is a really bad idea," he said sarcastically.

"I mean...after everything that happened, I think they moved to get away from us, Simon," Sarah said with a sigh. She got out of the truck and grabbed two light bags, walked toward the door, and looked across the street.

Simon grabbed some boxes, walked up the steps, and said, "Honey, they moved because they needed a house. They couldn't fit another kid in that apartment. It's the same reason we moved."

Sarah sighed. "Maybe," she said, opening the door. She held it for Simon, then furrowed her brow. "Elliot was okay with you borrowing the truck?" she asked.

Simon laughed. "He's a good guy, and he knows I won't trash it. He was fine with it," he said, heading back out. As he neared the back of the truck, he heard a crash from across the street. A loud one. He ran, dropping the box that was in his hands, and burst into Olivia's living room. "Olivia!" he yelled.

A mutter heard from the kitchen, and what sounded like a thump, got his attention. He ran into the kitchen and saw Olivia on the floor, unconscious, and the back door's glass pane shattered. "Oh, God," he cried, falling next to her, He checked her pulse as he pulled out his cell phone.

* * *

Elliot ran through the sliding doors of Mercy General, holding up his badge and not breathing. Cragen, right behind him, looked at the nurse.

"Four," the nurse said, pointing, knowing who they were there to see.

Elliot bolted, pushing people, knocking things over, and he pushed his way into the room. He smirked when he saw Olivia, giving attitude to the doctor.

"I'm fine," she snapped, yanking her arm away from the man in white.

"Hey, baby," Elliot called, getting her attention. He walked over and took her hand. "You gotta tell me what happened, Liv," he whispered, the worry in his eyes obvious.

She sighed and swallowed. "I already told Fin," she said.

"Tell me," he said, demanding.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at him. "The security guys finished installing the alarm, and left. I sat down to read the manual for the camera, and I heard a crash from the kitchen, so I got up to check it out. The glass was shattered and the door was opened. The alarm didn't go off...I grabbed my gun and I picked up the phone to call the company, and someone grabbed me, wrapped something around my mouth, I knew it was chloroform. I guess I passed out. I woke up in the ambulance, with Simon. He..."

"Okay," Elliot stopped her. "You're okay, though, right?" he asked her. Then he turned to the doctor. "Right?" he asked again. "She's pregnant, is the baby..."

"Mister Stabler," the doctor said, holding up a hand, "Your wife and child are fine. Absolutely fine. She's got a bump on the head and we have to keep her for a few more hours for observation. She metabolized the chloroform rather quickly. No time for it to do any damage, it's just a precaution."

"Thanks," Elliot said, nodding as the doctor left. Once they were alone, he pulled Olivia to a sitting position, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her, hard and as if he was trying to make a point.

"If you're gonna kiss me like that whenever this happens, I'm gonna hit my head more often," she joked, trying to catch her breath.

Elliot nuzzled her nose and said, "I couldn't breathe. The minute Simon called me I stopped, and I didn't start again until I walked in here and saw that you were okay." He kissed her again and brushed her hair back. "Did you see who it was? Baby, did you see the guy?"

Olivia shook her head. "I just remember smelling roses," she said with a shrug. "He smelled like roses."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Roses, are you sure?" he asked.

"You know me, El," she said with a smirk. "I pay attention to detail, and my sense of smell, thanks to this baby, is bionic." She chuckled and said, "It was definitely roses. Almost like a really strong..."

"Perfume," he interrupted. "Baby, I know who attacked you." He looked at her and waited for her to read his mind. He didn't want to say it.

* * *

"Hey!" Simon said, cheerfully, as Elliot and Olivia walked into their house a few hours later.

"Mom!" Kathleen yelled, bounding over to her.

Maureen and the twins were next, each enveloping her in a hug. "We're so glad you're okay," Lizzie said, squeezing.

"Uncle Simon told us what happened," Dickie said. "He came to get us at...next door."

Elliot kissed all of his kids on the head, then shook Simon's hand. "Thanks, man," he said.

"Oh, hey, it's not a problem. I need the practice," Simon laughed. "I, uh, can I talk to you for a second?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, then nodded, following Simon into the kitchen. "You cleaned it up?" he asked, looking around.

Simon nodded. "After Fin and Munch left. And I fixed the door. Dickie helped. The alarm guys came back, the wire was cut from outside. Someone had to have been watching them install it to..."

"I know," Elliot said.

"That's what I wanna talk to you about," Simon said, folding his arms. "When I came into the kitchen, I saw someone run out. I was gonna go after them, but Olivia was more important."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "You saw them? Who was it?"

"I didn't see her face, I just saw a ponytail and I smelled her perfume, it was a woman, Elliot," he said. "A blonde."

Elliot ran a hand down his face. He shook his head, sighed, and said, "Yeah, I, uh, I know who it was. Fin and Munch are on it. I'm not...it's not my case."

Simon narrowed his eyes. "You know who it was?" he asked.

"And I know why," Elliot said, nodding and biting his lip. He shook his head, then walked back out into the living room, smiling at the sight of his four older kids smiling and laughing with Olivia.

"Why?" Simon asked, his arms still folded as he stepped up next to Elliot.

Elliot chuckled and sighed, lovingly glancing at Olivia. "That's why," he said. He looked once at Simon, shrugged, and walked over to his wife and kids. He kissed Olivia on the forehead, held her close, and shut his eyes as his hand traveled down to her belly. He would never let anyone get close enough to hurt his family again.

**A/N: So...the blonde...is either one of two people. I'm not telling. Until the next chapter. ;) Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: The story continues...**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf, this story belongs to TStabler©**

"For the fifteenth time," Olivia said, rolling her eyes as she walked into the squad room, "I'm fine! Will you please, stop?"

"You were attacked," Elliot said, almost whining, not understanding how she wasn't more upset.

Olivia turned to look at him. "I've been attacked before," she said. "Shot, stabbed, and hey, there was that loon who kidnapped me and strapped me to a chair. This was nothing, El. You need to..."

"It's not...it's not what happened to you, but who did it that I'm worried about," Elliot interrupted.

Fin, behind them, mumbled and cleared his throat.

"What was that?" Elliot said, snapping as he turned around.

Fin raised an eyebrow. "I said, 'I'm glad the two of you got some sleep.' Ya know, me and Munch have been up all night, in that room with that crazy bitch. She thinks that since no one got seriously hurt, and she never meant to kill anyone anyway, we should send her home."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Did she tell you why? What did she say?" he asked, his arms folding as he took a step toward Fin.

Fin sighed and shook his head. "She said all she was gonna do was keep Olivia in an abandoned storefront or somethin' and comfort you as you worried. She was hopin' you'd see the mistake you made, and by the time you found Olivia you'd have rekindled the love you had with her and wouldn't care."

Elliot scoffed. "She wanted me to cheat on Liv out of desperation and she was gonna take advantage of me in a vulnerable..."

"You're starting to sound like me," a voice said from the door to the pit.

Olivia looked up, remembering the last time she had to talk to him, and getting a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She smiled anyway. "Hi, George," she said.

Huang nodded. "I think a judge is gonna go easy on her," the doctor said, shrugging. "She clearly didn't think she was doing anything wrong, no one was hurt, there was no violent motive, and she was suffering a very mild psychotic break. She had a goal, and she saw her actions as the only means to achieve that goal."

"What exactly are you saying, Doc?" Elliot asked, sounding annoyed and a little afraid.

Huang smirked. "I'm saying that even a first-year law student could get her off on a temporary insanity plea. She's got a valid..."

Elliot cut him off. "She assaulted an officer! She attacked a pregnant, mother-of-four, cop in her own kitchen! She's not gonna serve any time for that?" he yelled.

Another voice, female this time, broke into the conversation. "She's looking at a few years of outpatient psych treatment. She'll get a hefty fine and a few years probation, she'll have to wear a tracking device on her ankle since she wont be allowed within fifty feet of Olivia. Other than that..."

"Fifty feet?" Olivia interrupted. "So she has to move?" she asked, folding her arms, looking an awful lot like Elliot.

Alex smirked. "Unfortunately not. The property lines are pretty narrow. Her front door is sixty feet away from yours. She is not allowed to put a single foot over the hedges beside your driveway, though. That's where your fifty feet begins."

Elliot sighed, running a hand over his head and down the back of his neck. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked, looking at the woman who, only a week ago, was a victim herself.

Alex nodded sadly. "She has a valid defense. Though, I'm not sure how anyone could make themselves crazy over you, Stabler."

Olivia, no smile, no smirk, no expression at all, simply said, "I get it."

Elliot turned to her, stunned, but she was walking toward the mini fridge in the back, probably to pour herself a cup of milk. He'd ask her later, he promised himself.

Cragen slapped him on the shoulder and handed him a yellow slip of paper, and he closed his eyes for a moment. "What?" he sighed.

The captain's voice said, "Officer involved shooting on Thirty-Sixth. Possible sexual assault. They need you down there, Elliot. Take Fin and Olivia with you."

Elliot nodded. "Back to work," he said softly. "Right." He looked down at the paper and saw his name in the message, Sergeant Stabler, and he looked over at what used to be his desk. It made things easier and harder and he wasn't sure if he regretted it or not. "Let's go," he said, looking at Fin, who was in his chair, or, what used to be his chair. He left without waiting for Olivia and Fin.

* * *

The day had been long, the situations they face had pushed buttons and gotten on nerves, and by the time they were able to go home, Olivia and Elliot were barely speaking. They stopped at a Thai takeout place on the way home, picking up food for the whole family, and spent the ride to the house in silence.

Finally, Elliot sighed as he parked in their driveway and asked, "How are you feeling?" He waited for her to look at him and said, "You were sick this morning, it was shitty day, I'm concerned..."

"I'm okay," she said, nodding once at him. "How are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, then leaned over to her, capturing her lips in a kiss. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I hate the way I get with you at work. I'm not your partner anymore, I shouldn't yell at you like that."

"El, you've been that way for years," she said back to him, kissing him again. "It's you being gruff, hard-ass, hot-head, Sergeant Stabler, and I love him. But...when work is over and you realize what an asshole you've been, and you morph back into Elliot, well...that is my favorite part of the night."

He chuckled and kissed her again, then grabbed the bag off of her lap and got out of the car. "Our family awaits," he said, winking at her. He ran around and opened the door for her, and she rolled her eyes and smirked as he held out his hand.

"A little much," she said, slipping her fingers into his open palm, "But nice touch."

He smiled at her and his eyes sparkled. "No one said romance needed to be reserved for dinners and special occasions," he said. "I promised you I'd be the kind of man you deserve, and that guy opens doors, pulls out chairs, and loves you more than he thought he'd ever love anyone," he told her.

"What's going on, El?" she asked, suddenly worrying that he had a trick up his sleeve. "I hate surprises, and when you get like this..."

"Nothing, baby," he interrupted, opening their front door then immediately setting the alarm and locking it behind them. He dropped the bag of food on the coffee table, took off his jacket and hung it on a hook, toed off his shoes, and stepped over to her. He took her jacket off for her and asked, "What did you mean, though? This morning? You get it?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning around and grabbing the bag of food. She moved toward the table, trying to figure out what he was getting at.

He followed her into the dining room and pulled out her chair for her. "When Alex said she couldn't see how anyone could go crazy over me, you said you got it. You get it. What did that mean?"

She realized. She sighed, and she shook her head. "What did it sound like I meant?" she asked, pulling the food out of the bag.

Elliot needed more of an explanation. "Liv, baby, what are you..."

"If you left," she started, putting her food down and looking right at him. "If you so much as kissed another woman, asked me for a divorce, anything...if I lost you, El, I'd be even more insane than she is. I can't even tell you how...I have horrible nightmares about it, and I wake up in cold sweats...you just...you have that effect on people on guess."

"No, I don't," he retorted, his eyes wide and his voice soft. He grabbed her hand and said, "I think it's just you. And...well...her, but...I'm the same way with you. Though I think my first reaction would be to kill the other guy." He chuckled and then looked serious again. "I don't even wanna think about the dates you've gone on before we got together, so thinking of you having anyone else...after me..."

"There is no 'after you,' El," she told him, cutting him off. "That's what I;'m trying to tell you."

He smiled at her, he moved in, and he kissed her. The kiss was slow, deep, languid. Time stopped and all that mattered were their hands wrapping around each other, and their lips and tongues doing a seemingly perfected dance.

Elliot pulled away first, slowly, and whispered, "There's no 'after you' for me, either, baby. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded with closed eyes, her head resting against his, her breath hitting his lips. "I know," she whispered, and she didn't move when he tilted his head to kiss her again.

* * *

Simon, attempting to put a crib together, wasn't watching what he was doing. Instead, his eyes were focused out his window, on Kathy's front porch. He watched as the woman, wearing a large black device on her ankle, looked toward the Stabler residence. "What the hell is she doing?" he asked, trying to jam a leg into a hole on the crib.

"Simon!" Sarah yelled. "Damn it, will you stop staring out the window and pay attention to what you're doing?"

Simon, startled, looked down and rolled his eyes as he saw that he'd been trying to screw the leg, upside down, into a slot reserved for the mobile. "Sorry, honey," he said, sighing. "I'm just..."

"I know," Sarah said. "You're worried about your sister, and you're worried about what Kathy's gonna do now. But you should worry about me and this baby, too, ya know."

"Oh, honey, I do!" Simon exclaimed, pulling her closer to him. "I do, you know I do. I just can't help thinking something is going to..."

He was interrupted by the sound of firecrackers. Or a car backfiring. He turned, with Sarah still in his arms, and looked out the window. He realized, then, that it was a gunshot.

"Oh, my God," Sarah cried, her hand shooting to her mouth.

"Come on," Simon said, pulling his wife out of their nursery and out of their house, knowing Olivia and Elliot would need them right now.

**A/N: What happened? Who got shot? Why? How? I'm evil, aren't I? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Who was shot? And who shot her, or him?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

Simon ran out into the street, leaving Sarah on the porch. He met Elliot and Olivia there, too, who were just as horrified as he was.

Dickie, frozen in fear, stood on the white dashed line of the road with his messenger bag clutched in his hand. "She…she was gonna…she had a…"

Elliot ran to his son, checking him over for wounds. "You're okay," he said, pulling him into his chest. "You're okay."

Olivia was pulled into the hug, too, as the three of them tried to breath. "Ed?" Olivia questioned, watching a man walked toward Kathy, who was crumpled on the grass. "What happened?"

"I was coming by to ask how you liked the camera," Ed said, checking Kathy's pulse. He sighed and closed his eyes as he stood back up. "Dickie came home, he got out of the taxi and Kathy walked out onto the sidewalk. She raised a gun, I just…"

"She said that she was gonna take us from you, one at a time," Dickie said, still scared. "Then she held up her arm, she had a gun, but he shot her first." He looked at his father. "She was gonna shoot me, Dad."

Elliot nodded, his arms around his wife and son, and he looked at Tucker. His eyes said everything. A world of thanks and apologies passes between the former rivals.

Olivia, shocked, looked from Elliot to Dickie, holding them both, then darted her eyes from Simon to Ed. "Thank you," she said.

Ed walked over to them, turning his gun around and holding it out to Elliot. "That's what family's for, right?" he asked, nodding. "You need this, don't you?"

Elliot hesitated, then took the gun. "Yeah," he said, nodding. The sirens in the distance were coming closer, and he shook his head. "You've got witnesses, Ed," he said. "This isn't gonna…"

"I know," Ed interrupted. He looked at Olivia and tired to offer her a smile. He saw her smile back, and he sighed in relief. It was a step in the right direction. They were just technically family now, but soon, they would be friends.

* * *

The wait at the station was intolerable. The kids were asleep in the cribs, Olivia was falling asleep on Elliot's shoulder, and he was too pissed to sleep. "What the hell is taking so long?" he grumbled.

"You know," she mumbled into his neck.

He shifted. The heat and vibrations were perilously close to his ear, and were turning him on even though it was not intended. "Baby, she…she tried to kill her own son! When the hell did she completely lose it?"

"Probably when she watched the two of you," Huang said from the doorway.

Elliot's eyes widened. No one knew about that, except Olivia and Maureen. "What?" he asked, his nerves breaking his voice.

Huang held up a teddy bear. "Nanny cam," he said.

"The shower gift…" Olivia began, sitting up now, waking up. "She didn't…"

"She did," Huang told them. "They found this in your bedroom. Transmitter and cameras are in the eyes and nose, and the receiver was in her bedroom. She's been on quite a few wild rides with you."

Elliot closed his eyes. "They didn't watch the tapes, did they?" he groaned.

Huang chuckled. "Just Captain Fullerton. She was…impressed," he smirked. "She's clearing the men out of your house now, the rest of the search turned up empty." He held out the teddy bear. "You want it back?"

"Hell no," Elliot scoffed, smacking it. "It's evidence, anyway. Hey, why are you even here?"

Huang turned to look at Olivia. "For her," he said. "We have a long overdue conversation to have, and I think you need it now more than ever."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I like my head just the way it is, I don't need you to shrink it," she said.

"Olivia," Huang said softly. "What are you afraid of? It's just me, and nothing you say will be told to anyone else. You've been through a lot, and this is your first pregnancy, you have to have a lot going on inside your head that will be…"

"It won't be just us," she interrupted. She looked at Elliot.

He nodded, knowing she was asking him to stay with her. He kissed her softly, and said, "I'll go ask Ryan if he can take the kids home." He got up and Huang took his vacated seat.

"So tell me what you can't say to him, Olivia," Huang said with a knowing smirk. "Before he comes back, tell me the truth, why you asked him to stay. What are you afraid to say, that you can't say in front of him?"

She took a shaky breath, let it out, and said, "I'm terrified. I'm happy, incredibly happy, but I'm more scared now than I have ever been in my entire life, and if you knew my mother, then you know how serious of a statement that is."

"Afraid of what?" Huang asked, tilting his head.

She blinked. "Screwing up, losing everything, costing him everything," she listed. "He already lost his job because of me, and now he's doing something he hates. I have to work with someone I just don't work right with, I'm having a baby and I don't think I know which end of the bottle to feed it with, I'm…"

"Panicking," Huang said with a chuckle. "Welcome to the land of the living, Olivia. You're going through completely normal things, these feelings are natural with pregnancy and the relationship shift you've allowed to happen between yourself and Elliot." He looked at her for a moment. "Do you really believe you're going to screw up? Do you really, honestly believe he's going to leave, that you're going to be a bad mother?"

She looked up at Huang. "No," she heard herself say.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Huang said. "You're not suffering from any serious troubles. You're nothing like her, Olivia. You are nothing like your mother, and you're nothing like Kathy."

Her eyes widened. "How did you know I…"

Huang just laughed. "It's my job to know," he said. "Relax, breathe, and let Elliot take you home." He turned and said, "You know he's been waiting just outside the door the whole time, right? He never really went anywhere."

Olivia laughed as Elliot walked back in, looking confused. He furrowed his brow and said, "How the hell did you…"

"Don't question it," Huang said, standing. "Go home."

Elliot looked down at Olivia, then knelt in front of her. He let his head drop to hers as his arms wrapped around her, and he let out a long sigh. "I love you," he told her. "And this little boy," he said, dropping a kiss to her rounding belly. He smiled, kissing her belly again, remembering how hard they cried when the doctor told them it was a boy, after her checkup in the hospital.

She kissed his forehead. "I love you, too, honey," she said.

He got to his feet and helped her up, and he kissed her again. "I don't hate my job," he said. "I hate that I see you less, and I hate that I have to trust you with Fin and I can't be there to watch your back, but it's a sacrifice I made to have a real life with you, baby."

She nodded with a smile and kissed him. "Okay," she said, linking her fingers with his. They turned, but were headed off by Detective Vega and Captain Fullerton.

"Stabler," Fullerton said, extending her hand to Olivia. She shook it, and then looked at Elliot. "Sarge," she said with a wider smile.

"Everything okay?" Elliot asked, looking at both of them.

Vega nodded. "Your son's statement, the physical evidence, and his account of what happened made this clear defense of a third party." He let his eyes drop for a moment. "I'm sorry about Kathy, though."

Elliot shook his head. "She wasn't the woman I loved anymore," he said. "She wasn't even a woman I could tolerate. My kids are the ones suffering here. Their mother let them down." He looked at Olivia and kissed her cheek. "They've got an incredible stepmother, though, who will take amazing care of them."

"I'm sorry for everything she put you through, is what I'm saying," Vega clarified. "I'll have the 'Five on your desk first thing in the morning, and it's your call when Tucker gets his gun and shield back." He slapped Elliot on the arm, nodded at his captain, and walked away.

"About that," Fullerton sighed , folding her arms. "He's a good cop," she said. "But he's a pistol. Arrogant, selfish, hot-headed…"

"Are you talking about my husband or my brother?" Olivia joked.

Fullerton laughed, getting it. "Ed," she nodded. "He retired, then a week later he applied for a spot in my unit because he was bored. He handled the transition well until he found out his new captain was a woman." She rolled her eyes. "He's insufferable! He's so cocky, and violent, and he doesn't listen…"

"You're in love with him," Olivia said with a smile.

Fullerton blushed. "What? No, I…"

"I used to say the same things about this one," she said, nudging Elliot. "You're trying to find every flaw you can because you don't think you have a snowball's chance in hell of getting him. You're convincing yourself you don't need him, that you're too good for him, that he's a jerk."

"Excuse me?" Elliot interrupted, wide-eyed with folded arms.

Olivia laughed. "I spent years trying to talk myself out of loving you."

"Well, thank God you're stubborn," he said with a curt nod. "No one can talk you out of a damned thing, not even yourself."

Fullerton laughed and shook her head. "You two make a great team," she said. "On and off the field."

"We did," Olivia said.

"We always will," Elliot said, kissing her.

Fullerton looked toward the interrogation room and said, "I have to finish taking his statement, but like Vega said, everything will…"

"Goodnight," Elliot said, cutting her off. "And thank you for going easy on my kid."

Fullerton nodded. "He's just like you, Sarge. Professional, brave, a bit on the arrogant side, and very protective of Olivia."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. They realized then that they didn't know the whole story.

* * *

"Did he tell you?" Olivia asked with a yawn, crawling into bed.

Elliot ran a hand down his face as he yawned back at her. "Yeah," he said. "Once he realized I'd be reading the statement in the morning, he did." He got into bed beside his wife and said, "She threatened him, that part was true. What he left out was, after she said she'd shoot everyone one-by-one, she said she was gonna start with you. He moved toward her and he told her…" he paused and looked into Olivia's eyes. "He told her he wasn't gonna let her kill his mother."

She blinked at him. "He said that?" she asked in a whisper.

He nodded. "He told her she would have to shoot him first if he wanted to get to you, so that's when she raised her gun, and Ed…" he stopped with a sigh. "He really does take after me, doesn't he?"

She smiled and kissed him. "Yes, he does." She cuddled close to him and said, "So will our son."

He kissed her, smiling against her lips, and rolled onto his side. He was blissfully unaware that someone had his eye on the recently empty house next door, and that once he moved in, life would be a little bit harder to live.

**A/N: A new neighbor? Who? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: The last neighbor moves in, and all seems to be well. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

The weeks following the shooting passed by quickly, but each moment was seared into the memories of the Stabler clan. Kathy's funeral made them all feel relief and guilt, the legal matters they had to deal with gave Olivia and Elliot headaches, building and painting the nursery brought them together and made them all excited for the impending arrival of the newest Stabler baby. They had just gotten over the loss of a few former friends and their kids' mother, and now they were watching someone else move in next door. Another new neighbor.

She was peering out the window, one hand resting on her round belly, and she sighed. "You think this is it?"

He hummed and wrapped his arms around her. "It'd better be," he said. "We've gone through more neighbors than necessary. Hell, we lived upstairs from Cragen, for crying out loud. So as long as it isn't him again…"

She laughed, breaking into his speech. "Oh, God," she said, rolling her eyes. "What if it's Alex again?"

"Hmmm, no, please," he said, moving her hair aside and kissing the back of her neck. "Oh, I got it. It's my brother."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's not funny."

He nodded. "It's kind of…"

"No, really, it's not," she said, turning around in his arms. "Anyone but your brother. How the two of you even come from the same family is beyond me."

He chuckled. "He isn't that bad," he said, beginning to sway her in his arms.

She didn't notice. She just rolled her eyes again. "El, he's rude. He burps and farts and he sits on Dickie's head! He's obnoxious, he's more arrogant than you are." She ran her hands up his arms and said, "And ya know, he keeps trying to feel me up…we had him here for dinner and he asked if I was dessert."

"And you don't think we're related?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

She chuckled and shook her head. "It's sexy when you do it," she said, scrunching her nose at him.

"Because I'm the sexy Stabler," he declared. He pulled her closer, tighter, and swayed slower.

"And the romantic one," she said, kissing him.

He chuckled. "Clearly." He grabbed her hand, spun her around, and dipped her, kissing her as he brought her back up.

She laughed, leaning into him. "You pick the most random times to dance with me," she observed.

"I told you," he said, smiling as he moved her around the living room, "That I will always make time for romance."

She kissed him, and he stopped moving. His hands dropped her and wound around her body, her arms looped around his neck, and just as they became lost in the kiss, the doorbell rang.

"I think someone up there gets some kind of sick pleasure out of ruining our perfect moments," he complained with a sigh. He gave her a peck on the lips and walked over to the door, opened it, and had to stop himself from groaning out loud. "Hey, Ed," he said with a nod.

"Hey," Tucker said, nodding in return. "I just wanted to know…who usually trimmed the hedges? You or Kathy?"

"Me, why are you…" Realization struck him hard and fast. "You bought the house next door?"

Ed sighed and nodded. "I did, yeah. I missed a lot of time with my family, Elliot. I owe it to myself to be here. Especially now that I'm gonna have a niece and a nephew running around."

"Niece?" Olivia questioned, stepping next to Elliot.

Ed nodded. "Simon's having a girl."

"Oh," Olivia said, giving him a small smile. "Sarah said she didn't wanna know."

Ed shrugged. "She doesn't," he said. "Simon asked the doctor, he isn't gonna tell her."

Elliot scoffed. "Nice," he said.

"It's what they want," Tucker said. He looked at Olivia and said, "If you need anything, anything at all, I will be right next door."

"Actually," Olivia said, a smirk playing at her lips. "There is one thing you can do for me."

"Name it," Ed said, willing to do whatever he had to do to prove he loved her.

She moved toward the coffee table, flipped her phone open, and copied down a number on a sticky note. She peeled it off the pad, walked back to Elliot's side, and handed it to Ed. "Call this woman," she said. "Take her to dinner. Don't be an asshole."

Ed looked down at the note and furrowed his brow. "This is Fuller…"

"I know whose number it is," Olivia interrupted. "Just do it. You'll thank me."

Ed raised an eyebrow at her, but sighed and said, "All right." He shook Elliot's hand and walked down the path, across the driveway, over to his new home.

"How about that," Elliot said, staring after Ed.

Olivia shook her head. "At least we know he won't try to kill us," she said, folding her arms over her baby-bump.

He chuckled. "Or watch us have…"

"Don't finish that sentence," she said, stopping him. She tugged on his sleeve as he laughed and he followed her into the living room and closed the door. She sighed and rubbed her belly. "Few more months, then we meet this little guy."

"I can't wait," he said, smiling.

"Mom?" Maureen called from the bottom of the stairs.

Olivia turned to look at the girl, and she smiled. "What is it, sweetie?"

Maureen grinned and walked over to her parents, sat on the couch, and said, "I know you don't have a lot of time before the baby comes, and I know you and Dad didn't really get a honeymoon."

"Maur," Elliot said, his eyes narrowing, "What are you getting at, pumpkin?"

Maureen looked up at her father. "I want you two to take this," she said, handing her father a white envelope. "I don't need it. I've got a full scholarship at school, and my job at the bookstore is more than enough for the few things I need."

Elliot furrowed his brow and opened the envelope. "Mo, where did you get this?" he asked, his voice sounding soft, surprised.

Maureen shrugged and bit her lip. "Kathy," she said. "She left one for each of us, and Mister Henshall said we could do whatever we wanted with them. I want you two to use it, go somewhere tropical, forget about everything that's happened and…"

Olivia looked up at Elliot, who had tears in his eyes. She looked back at her stepdaughter and gave her a soft smile. "Honey, we can't…"

"Yes you can, Mom," Maureen said, interrupting. "I already called Captain Cragen. I'm gonna sit with you tonight, book a flight, and you're leaving Monday morning, wherever you wanna go."

"Sweetheart," Elliot said, wrapping his daughter in his arms. "This is just…awesome."

Maureen laughed as she hugged her father. "You and Mom deserve it," she said. "Besides, you aren't going to have a lot of time to yourselves anymore. Uncle Simon and his family are gonna be over here every weekend for football games. Uncle Ed's next door being our own, personal secret service. You've got four teenagers and you're about to have a baby. Lord knows he's not gonna be your only one," she explained. "With our family, and all of these friends and neighbors here all the time, you need to spend a little time alone and away while you can."

Elliot and Olivia laughed, both hugging the girl, and they each kissed her on the cheek. She got up and walked back toward the steps, turning around to look at her parents one more time. She smiled at the sight of them, dancing to no music, smiling, kissing, and she knew that her life was finally the way she'd wanted it all along.

She climbed the stairs with a smile on her face, thanking God that her father bought an apartment next to Olivia's almost a year ago.

That's how it began, she realized. They were friends. Then they were neighbors. Now they were a family. The road to get here was long and bumpy, but they'd gotten here together.

As she closed the door to her bedroom and looked out her window, watching her Uncle Ed hanging motion-activated cameras in the driveway, Maureen knew that her family's real journey had only just begun.

It was going to be one hell of a ride.

**A/N: The End!**


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